


The Ranger, Part 7: Coming Home

by Treadstone17



Series: The Ranger [7]
Category: Star Trek: Picard, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: Adult Content, Explicit Language, F/F, F/M, Gen, depictions of violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-02
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:35:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 42,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26765902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Treadstone17/pseuds/Treadstone17
Summary: Sloan, the notorious leader of Section 31, has killed Starfleet C-in-C, Admiral Alynna Necheyav, and captured former Admiral Kathryn Janeway, in an attempt to finally get his hands on Seven of Nine.As Sloan and Benjamin Maxwell move around unseen, events in other locations and with other ships threaten to engulf the Alpha Quadrant, The Federation, and The Klingon Empire, into a full-scale war.
Relationships: Kathryn Janeway/B'Elanna Torres, Kathryn Janeway/Seven of Nine, Kathryn Janeway/Tom Paris, Seven of Nine/B'Elanna Torres, Tom Paris/B'Elanna Torres, Tom Paris/Seven of Nine
Series: The Ranger [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1667197
Comments: 9
Kudos: 48





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to genius2mania for catching my major flaw in this chapter, that included Gretchen Janeway. I hadn't remembered that waaaaay back in the first stories, I had noted that Gretchen was no longer alive.
> 
> See what happens when you got old? Thanks, genius2mania, for the backup!

Star Trek Voyager: The Ranger

Coming Home

Treadstone17

I

Aboard The Freighter _Numeri_

**Eight hours or so after Kathryn Janeway** had been blasted by a phaser set on stun, and then given a sedative after being patched up, she began to wake. Kathryn felt like hell, not knowing at the moment where she was or what the hell had happened to her. She was still too groggy for that.

It took her another ten minutes to start getting her bearings back, her eyes finally focusing on her surroundings, finding she was behind a force-field in what looked like a typical bring on a starship. There were no guards at the cell. Out of habit, she went to press a communicator, finding she didn't have it any longer. She also realized after a few moments that she had no shoes on, no bra on, and her hair, which she had pinned up was now loose around her shoulders, none of the pins in sight.

Basically, they had taken away anything that she might use to try and short-circuit the force field holding her in.

Another fifteen minutes went by when Janeway heard footsteps approaching. The cell she was in did not face a door, as the only entrance was behind her to her right. A male figure came around the corner.

“Admiral Janeway”, the man said in mildly arrogant tones, “it's good to see you awake again.”

It all came flooding back to Kathryn. “Sloan”.

He smiled at her benignly. “I'm glad you remembered that, Admiral. I would expect a thank you, as we healed your wounds while you were out, and gave you a mild sedative so that you could get some rest.”

“What did you do with Captain Verano and the guards?”

“Unfortunately, Captain Verano and three of the guards were necessary...casualties of all of this. The other guard, well, it was fortuitous for me that he was under my employ, undercover at Jellico's office.”

“You killed them, then”, Kathryn said, her command face in place, something she had never forgotten how to use.

“Yes, they're dead, so what”, the man said blandly. “I can also tell you that Admiral Necheyav is now...permanently retired. She threw me under the proverbial bus, as the old saying goes, trading her retirement for my incarceration. I couldn't allow that.”

“Why the hell would you kill the C-in-C of Starfleet? What good will that do you? Charges have been filed against you, and now there will be more filed. I have to question your cognitive ability, Mr. Sloan.”

Janeway was trying to goad the man, and the former _Voyager_ Captain could see she had hit the mark to a certain degree. His eyes briefly flashed in anger, his lips twitching. Yet he was too much of a pro to let it sound in his voice, although it took a few moments to calm his facial expression.

“My good Admiral”, he said as if discussing the weather, “I don't do anything without thinking it through. After all, if I killed them, you have to be asking yourself why I didn't kill you, is that not so?”

Janeway gave him a one word answer: “Seven.”

“Very good, Admiral”, he said approvingly. “I can't question your cognitive abilities, now can I? They're as sharp as ever.” His voice turned cold. “Yes, Seven. That Borg bitch of yours, your future lover, from what I understand, is the cause of all this crap that has happened to me in the last nine months.”

“Really?” Janeway didn't look impressed. “She's responsible for your maneuver to attempt to start a war on Fenris? She is responsible for that...Gulag that you created on Ganymede? She made you kill Captain Verano and Admiral Necheyav? I didn't know you were so not in control of your own life?”

This time Sloan laughed. “I give you credit, Admiral, your attempts to get under my skin, as it were, are well-played, but they won't get you anywhere.”

“So what are you planning to do with me?”

“A good question”, he said with a nod. “I plan to lure Seven of Nine to get close to this ship, and then I will offer a straight-up trade, you for her.”

Janeway shook her head. “I won't let her give herself up for me, Sloan”, she said with a small smirk.

“You misunderstand, my dear Admiral: I may offer that, but in the end, I plan for neither one of you to end up alive.”

Sloan turned to walk away. “I imagine I'll be back later for more delightful conversation.”

* * *

San Francisco

Edward Jellico was holding a meeting with Mike Patterson, Owen Paris, Will Riker, Picard, Tom, B'Elanna, The Doctor, and Seven of Nine in his office. The Federation was in upheaval as Necheyav's death had been announced, the equivalent of an APB being put out for Sloan.

As for who the new C-in-C would be, Admiral Mike Patterson was next on the rung, which showed just how distant Necheyav had kept him from her inner circle. Patterson had agreed to serve in the interim, but he was getting close to retirement, and didn't want the job permanently.

But for now, Jellico was chairing this meeting. He had also invited the Judge Advocate General, Vice-Admiral Bruce Crane, to the meeting, as he was intimately involved with the search for Sloan, and the murders in Denver and Sacramento.

“Admiral Crane, do we have any idea, at the moment, who is working with Sloan.”

The man shook his head. “No, we don't, Admiral Jellico”, he said with complete seriousness. “We've begun our investigation into what happened in Denver, and in Sacramento. We believe that Sloan, or someone with Sloan, is responsible for both crime scenes.”

That made sense, everyone nodding their heads.

“We know, or are fairly sure”, the Vice-Admiral continued, “that a ship was used to transport an unknown number of infiltrators to the surface in Denver, then beamed them back up, and believe whoever killed Necheyav was beamed down off of that ship.”

“The less people who know, the better”, Picard said astutely.

“Exactly, sir”, Crane said. “Sloan obviously is known for keeping things close to the vest, and too many moving parts can have too many problems.”

“What about Kathryn”, Seven said insistently.

“We believe she's alive, Seven”, Crane said with concern, “but we have no proof yet one way or another.”

“The only thing that makes sense”, B'Elanna interjected, “is that Sloan wants to trade the Admiral for Seven. He's been wanting to get his slimy hands on Seven for years.”

"I'd have to agree with my daughter-in-law”, Owen Paris said with a nod. “I have a feeling we'll hear from Sloan soon enough.”

“We do have to consider the possibility that Sloan killed her”, Tom added, not liking the words. “Sorry, Sev”, he said, “I don't like the prospect either, but it's something we have to be prepared for.”

His wife was sitting next to Seven, B'Elanna softly grabbing Seven's hand that sat on her lap, squeezing it.

“I understand that, Tom”, the former drone said with some fear. “No apology is necessary, my friend.” She gave Tom a small smile.

Jellico turned to Patterson. “Mike, when did the President say she wanted you installed as acting C-in-C?”

“By the end of next week”, the long-time Admiral said, mentally adjusting his mind to the new reality. “I'd like to make it no later than mid-week. I've got a lot of house-cleaning to do at Headquarters. I may only be a caretaker, but I need to get The Federation back on the right track.”

The others nodded.

“We may also have to prepare for the possibility that Sloan could call on ships and Captains loyal to him-like Munshif was-to rally to his cause”, Riker noted. “The shooting may not be over.”

“A good point, Will”, Jellico nodded. “We have our own assets-sorry, Bruce”, he added, “but there's a lot going on with this that we need to fill you in on.”

The Vice-Admiral simply nodded, having figured out a lot of this on his own.

“I am going to talk to President Fetisov today, and ask her permission to meet with Chancellor Worf, and Ambassador Kurn personally-for that very reason, Will”, he said, looking at Riker. “We may need them to help keep some peace if we're forced into some sort of Civil War by this son-of-a-bitch.”

Everyone liked that idea. “Why don't you do that now, Mike”, Jellico offered. “The sooner the better. I'm we can arrange the meeting with the Chancellor and the Ambassador covertly somewhere in Federation space within four days or so, if we move quickly.”

Patterson smiled. “You do realize when I come back, Ed, I'll be giving _you_ the orders for a while?”

Everyone chuckled without exception, breaking the tension for a moment.

“The man gets a promotion, and his ego inflates”, Owen Paris added, getting raucous laughter from the group, as Patterson excused himself.

“I guess all we can do right now, is assist Bruce with his investigation, and wait to hear from Sloan. Owen”, Jellico turned to Paris, “maybe, as a precaution, we can contact the ships that we've lined up over the last few months, and tell them to stand by? I'm sure most of them know the score at the moment.”

“Will do”, Tom's father said crisply.

“We will go back to the Janeway farm”, Seven said, coming to a decision, Tom and B'Elanna nodding in agreement. ”Right now, I need to be...with my family, and they're in Bloomington at the moment.”

“We'll be in touch, Seven”, Jellico said bluntly. “On that you have my word.”

As they departed, Tom and B'Elanna flanked their friend, each gently grabbing a hand in a show of support for the member of their family.


	2. Chapter 2

II

**By Wednesday, Admiral Mike Patterson** was the new C-in-C of Starfleet. On paper, that made him the second most Powerful person in The Federation. In reality, as Necheyav had shown, it was _the_ power in The Federation. He planned to us it to improve the lives of the people within the United Federation of Planets, not to turn the military arm of The Federation into a feared, frightening juggernaut.  
  
He had made the clear to the Federation President, who had not won her election fair and square, and had been placed there, in large part, by Necheyav, and, to a lesser extent, Sloan, to get what they wanted. He informed her that she would be perfectly safe as President, but that she would take orders from no one. It was time for her to fly without a net, or crash and burn.

His first order of business was to send an urgent, hyper sub-space transmission to Q'onoS and to Chancellor Worf. He invited Word, and his brother, Kurn, who was the Klingon Ambassador to The Federation, for a secret meeting to clear the air between the two powers, and to allow Klingon warships access to Federation space, in case Sloan had any ideas of trying to start another fight.

Within twelve hours, Chancellor Worf had responded to the affirmative. In six days, they would meet at a location known only to the Chancellor and the Admiral. Patterson would bring Picard and Riker along with him.

* * *

Seven, The Doctor, Tom, and B'Elanna returned to the Janeway farm in Indiana a few hours later. Unfortunately, the barbecue had been spectacularly spoiled by the events in Denver and Sacrament that weekend, but everyone tried to make the best of it, and not waste all the wonderful food that had been made. Seven was determined that they would have a successful barbecue, with Kathryn present, in the near future.

By Wednesday, they had returned to San Francisco, with Phoebe and with Miral in tow. Miral was off for the summer, a she would start her Senior year at Kent State in the fall. She was an able pilot, and her parents knew she might come in handy in the near future. As for Phoebe, they simply didn't want her to be alone. She had cancelled two showings of her art work in Europe due to Kathryn's disappearance, with promises to make them up.

Jellico had given them the use of a large, vacant, secluded home that The Federation owned just north of the city, where they could stay close. In the world of the 24th Century, where one could beam from Earth to the Moon, everything was close, but for their protection, he wanted them physically close to The Federation Capital. Mike Patterson had increased security around all Federation installations, and around the individuals involved in their endeavors to counter Necheyav. Sloan could show up anywhere, at any time.

Seven didn't want to stay planted in one place-she wanted to find Kathryn. They had finally-finally, after so many years of bitterness and estrangement, found each other, and she didn't want to lose her again. She didn't think that she could survive another tragedy.

“Look, Sev”, B'Elanna told her, completely understanding, “I know you know this, but until the DOJ and Patterson have some kind of line on where Kathryn is, we can't just go galivanting around the galaxy. This isn't like Ganymede: we have no clue to where Kathryn is now.”

“I know that, B'Elanna”, Seven said, slouching back on her bed in the large house, Torres sitting on the end of it. “I really do, but I feel so...fucking useless just sitting here, while Kathryn is in danger.”

“Kind of like how we felt when you were on your little warpath”, the Klingon hybrid said with a smirk, letting Seven know she was, at least in part, ribbing her.

“Yeah, I guess”, Seven said sadly. “The last twenty years have been such a nightmare, for both Kathryn and I, B'El. There's been some good times, obviously, but it has been one tragedy after another: losing Chakotay, then Icheb; being estranged for twenty years from Kathryn; falling for that manipulative bitch Bjayzl...”

Seven almost started to cry, but instead balled up on the left side of the bed.

B'Elanna and Seven over the years, had become very close. Torres, Tom, and Miral had been one of the few steadying influences on her life since their return from the DQ. They _were_ her family-she thought so, and so did they. It still amazed both woman that after all the animosity they had hurled at each other during Seven's first two years on _Voyager_ , that they were like sisters now, one willing to sacrifice everything for the other.

B'Elanna saw the grief and despair on Seven's face. She crawled up behind Seven, spooning her chest in to Seven's back, throwing the blanket over both of them, and putting her left arm around her friend.

“We'll find her, Sev”, B'Elanna said softly, kissing the blonde on the back of the head. “If I have any say in it, you and Kathryn are not gonna lose each other again.”

Seven moved back into B'Elanna's embrace. “Thank you, B'El. It's not my nature to say such things, but I love you so much. I consider you my big sister.”

Torres snickered. “You're the big one, not me, Ice Queen”. That made Seven giggle. “But I love you too, honey.”

They drifted off into a nice nap, much as they had done not long ago on the Janeway farm.

* * *

Surprisingly, Sloan was trying to treat Janeway much as he was treated when he was held in Denver. He had given her comfortable living quarters-under guard, of course. He had fresh clothes for her every day. He even tried to have the meals be as outstanding as the ones he was given while in captivity. He still planned to kill both she and Seven, but he felt it was only fair to treat Janeway as he had been treated.

He hadn't visited her in a couple of days, as he was busy trying to make the best plans to get Seven within his grasp. He had been reluctant to allow the Captain of his ship, Captain Benjamin Maxwell, near the woman, but Maxwell had admired Janeway and her courage while in the Delta Quadrant, so five days after her capture he decided to visit her.

Janeway was reading on a PADD she had been given. It had no interface to Federation computers, but it did have a large selection of books for her to read. It wasn't as good as an actual, old-fashioned book with pages, but she had found some interesting titles to go over. She had always been an avid reader, and this was simply a natural way for her to pass the time.

The only visitors she had encountered were Sloan on several occasions-the man made her skin crawl-and usually two different guards to give her meals. As she was engrossed in her latest reading adventure, she heard the sealed doors to her quarters swish opened. A guard stood at attention, facing away from her, and another person walked in.

Had Kathryn Janeway thought she could get away with it, she'd have torn the man limb-from-limb right then and there. The anger she felt was almost overwhelming.

“Captain Benjamin Maxwell”, she said with a grinding voice. “You're involved in this insanity? I guess you didn't learn your lesson when commanding the _Phoenix_?”

Maxwell was infamous in the annals of Starfleet for his unprovoked attacks in Sector 21505 in disputed territory between the Cardassians and The Federation. Maxwell had claimed that the Cardassians, in violation of a peace treated signed less than a year earlier, was using the sector to disguise a new buildup for an attack on The Federation. Maxwell had destroyed several Cardassian ships with all hands, in an attempt to prove his point. San Francisco had dispatched the _Enterprise-D_ under Picard, who had finally thwarted and arrested Maxwell.

No one had learned whether Maxwell was right, Picard warning Gul Macet, who had been tasked at negotiating with Picard, that they were watching the areas closely.

Since that day, Maxwell had sworn revenge on Picard. He had joined Section 31 a few years back, agreeing with the idea of turning The Federation into a feared organization, and had wanted to use it as a stepping stone to get revenge on Picard.

“Admiral Kathryn Janeway”, Maxwell said, scowling at her. A smile was a rare thing that crossed Maxwell's features. “I've been wanting to meet you for a long time. I am a great admirer of how you navigated _Voyager_ through the Delta Quadrant.”

“I don't want your admiration, Maxwell”, she spat back at him. “I know your history, and you represent to me everything that can be wrong with The Federation. You attacked innocent people and killed them.”

Sloan had warned Maxwell that she would push his buttons. He was even more of a grizzled veteran in political intrigue than Sloan, and he simply brushed off the criticism.

“Be that as it may, Admiral, what I say I say sincerely. I would love to sit down and discuss with you some of the things you encountered in the DQ. I've read most of it, but hearing it from someone who was actually there?” He did give a fleeting smile. “That would be a highlight of my career.”

“Which, I'm sure you know”, she tossed back at him, “is permanently over with this stunt, and with the deaths of those four people.”

“Perhaps”, Maxwell offered. “If Sloan wins, I win. I have my own reasons for following him.”

“No doubt because Picard stopped you from killing a few thousand more people?”

“They had it coming”, he said with contempt. “Besides, the Cardassians got theirs in the Dominion War. I don't feel sorry for them.”

“So naturally, it was OK to slaughter them.”

 _Sloan was right,_ he thought behind passive eyes, _Janeway's good at this game._

“I don't need to explain myself to you, Janeway”, he said, his opinion of her not as high as it was when he came in. “Either way, you won't be around long enough to see what happens to me or Sloan.”

“Don't count your chickens, Captain”, Kathryn said with an offhand politeness. “The eggs tend to break that way.”

With that, Maxwell make a quick exit, not wanting to lose his cool around the Admiral.

* * *

Vice-Admiral Bruce Crane, the JAG for The Federation, had requested a meeting with C-in-C Mike Patterson, Ed Jellico and Owen Paris. Picard and Riker had returned for the time being to Spain, promising they would be back within a few days. They were preparing for the trip with Admiral Patterson to meet Worf and Kurn.

When they were seated, Patterson opened the meeting, both he and Jellico making an easy transistion in their roles within the group. “Bruce, you called me, what have you got for us?”

“We've been doing a sweep of Sector 0-0-1, to see if any ships are missing our out of position. We had four that we couldn't raise, and we've checked into all of them. Three we finally got through, as they were having either communications problems, and in one case, an entire ship lost power, but they're back up and communicating with us.

“We still have one ship unaccounted for”, he continued soberly. “It's a freighter that ferries parts between Earth, the Moon, Mars, and McKinley Station.”

“Which ship is it”, Owen Paris inquired.

Crane looked directly at Jellico. “The freighter is the _Numeri_.”

Jellico hardly let the man finish. “Jesus Christ”, he said with an ashen face.

“Whose running the _Numeri_ ”, Owen said curiously.

“Benjamin Maxwell”.

Paris and Patterson responded in unison, echoing Jellico. “Jesus Christ”, they said. At another time it might have been comical.

“That bastard was let off the hook by Necheyav about eight years ago, for good behavior while locked up. He's a menace”, Jellico continued, “but he's a brilliant Captain and strategist, even with a freighter.”

“I would think they'd try to find something with a little more firepower than a freighter”, Patterson wondered.

“That's our thought”, Crane added. “She's gone dark, and probably has all her transponders off, and may be running in gray mode. So far, we don't have reports of any armed vessels moving away from their stations. Of course, Maxwell could be going to whatever ship they might have waiting for them.”

“So, again”, Jellico said with some exasperation, “we have to wait and see if someone moves funny around the chessboard?”

“In a manner of speaking, yes”, Crane said.

“I think we need to get Picard and Riker back here, gentlemen”, Patterson urged. “They've dealt with this asshole in the past. We could use their input.”

Owen Paris ran the errand for the C-in-C. Within three hours, Picard and Riker had beamed back to San Francisco.


	3. Chapter 3

III

“ **Benjamin Maxwell?”**

Picard and Riker said the words at the same moment, also turning to each other at the same moment, with the same expression on their faces.

“Christ, it's bad enough we have to deal with a nut like Sloan”, Will Riker said with disgust. “Now we have to put up with a lunatic like Maxwell?”

“Part of me is not surprised”, Jean-Luc said offhandedly. “He has his own axes to grind-against you and me, Will”, he said, turning to his former Number One. “If he gets hold of an actual military vessel, we could have a lot of trouble.”

“That's why we brought you back”, Ed Jellico said promptly. “You've dealt with him personally. If anyone can figure out his game, it would be you, gentlemen.”

“I don't think bringing Chief O'Brien would help this time”, Riker offered, remembering how they had deposited the Chief on the _Phoenix_ , which led to Maxwell's surrender. “He's liable to summarily shoot Miles if we tried that again.”

“I wouldn't put it by him”, Mike Patterson added. “One thing we're doing, gentlemen”, he said to everyone in the room, “is checking in with our assets that we've built up since this all started, just to take stock. I fully expect Sloan and Maxwell have a Starfleet ship that will rendezvous with him in the near future.”

“Meanwhile”, Jellico reminded them, “the three of you”, he added, looking at Patterson, Riker, and Picard, “have to leave tomorrow morning to rendezvous with Worf and Kurn. A lot happening all at once.”

“Might I make a suggestion, Mike?” Jean-Luc looked at the new C-in-C.

“By all means, Jean-Luc.”

“I suggest raising Elizabeth Shelby as quickly as possible. I think she'd be willing to help us.”

Patterson nodded. “I haven't forgotten about those ships out near Fenris. I'm recalling them all this evening, and I'll take you up on that. Perhaps, while we're gone, Ed and Owen can meet with Elizabeth to get a feel for what she's thinking. From all I've heard, she is not happy at being played by Sloan.”

“I think that's an understatement”, Picard noted. “I also believe getting Tuvok here from Vulcan will be an asset. He'll want to be involved in rescuing Janeway.”

“Funny you mentioned that, Picard”, Owen Paris chimed in. “We received a message from him about two hours ago, advising us he will come to Earth. He indeed wants to get involved.”

Picard nodded in satisfaction. “Sloan may be hidden for now, but we have a lot of excellent assets, or possible assets, at our disposal. That might just include the Klingons”, he said with a wry grin.

“Very well”, Patterson said, wrapping up the meeting. “Jean-Luc, Will, we leave at about 0200 local to head for the rendezvous. I believe you two should get some rest.” Neither objected to that plan. “I'll send a message to Shelby immediately.”

“Just so I know where all the pieces are”, Picard added, “is Seven currently at the Janeway farm?”

Owen Paris handled that one. “Yes, she's with Tom, B'Elanna, The Doctor, and Phoebe Janeway. I've heard a few other people from Voyager are heading there to support both Seven and Phoebe. She's in good hands right now.”

Picard felt a little more at ease, knowing where Seven was. He was certain, that by the time they returned from the meeting with Worf and Kurn, that Sloan would have made his pitch to lure Seven of Nine in.

* * *

Near Fenris

The subspace message from the new C-in-C had actually surprised Admiral Elizabeth Shelby to some degree. She had received the message about the murder of Admiral Alynna Necheyav. She wasn't quite sure how she felt about that yet. To be sure, she had been stunned by the news, and angered that, from all accounts, Sloan was behind it, yet she felt that Necheyav had played her, at least to a degree, for a number of years.

Yet in the end, Shelby knew she only had herself to blame. A lot of her self-blame went back to her historic disagreement with Admiral Picard, and Captain Riker so many years ago, when they had butted heads over what to do with XB's. It had set her on a path to align with more hard-liners, like Necheyav, and like Sloan. Yet she knew now-far too late-that Sloan was no one she could ever admire. His cavalier use of a Starfleet vessel and crew to get his way had sickened her.

The summons didn't say why Patterson wanted to see her. For all she knew, she'd get a dressing-down, and a Dishonorable Discharge from the service, after everything that had happened around Fenris. Yet the video summons didn't have the bite to it that she would expect in such a summons.

No matter what, she was a loyal officer, as well as a loyal citizen of The Federation, and she would go to San Francisco, and face whatever might be in store for her.

* * *

It was agreed, in a secret communication between President Fetisov and Chancellor Worf, that the Chancellor would meet with Admiral Patterson, as well as Picard and Riker, on Vulcan, where, at the end of the meeting, Tuvok would be brought back to Earth to lend his knowledge and ideas to rescuing Kathryn Janeway-if she were indeed alive.

Tuvok had graciously offered the use of his home for the meeting, and even offered to give the attendees a tour of the XB hospital and rehabilitation center that was currently on Vulcan. Tuvok would present a letter to both Admiral Patterson and the Chancellor on behalf of the Vulcan ruling council, for assistance-after the current situation had died down-to help in finding XB's, and to bring them to Vulcan, and to recommend that other rehabilitation facilities be set up in the Quadrant. The Vulcan council did not want to interfere with the current meeting between The Federation and the Klingons.

Worf and his brother Kurn arrived first, about an hour before The Federation delegation. Tuvok had introduced himself to the two famous Klingons, and they, in turn, wanted to hear some of the fascinating stories of Tuvok's time on _Voyager_ , and their seven years in the Delta Quadrant.

“In the end”, Tuvok explained to the two warriors, in talking about the debacle between _Voyager_ , The Borg, and Species 8472, “it was a situation that had no clear-cut right or wrong, as far as I am concerned. Captain Janeway played her hand to the best of here ability. And, in the end, even though The Borg had started the conflict, keeping Species 8472 inside Fluidic Space probably saved everyone.”

“It almost sounds like a variation of the famous _Kobayashi Maru_ ”, Kurn observed, finding the story quite remarkable, even if delivered with the cold logic of a Vulcan. “And in bringing Seven of Nine aboard, it ultimately saved _Voyager_ as well.”

“I believe you are correct, Ambassador Kurn”, Tuvok said with a nod. “For something in which there was no way to really win, at least in the immediate short run, the events there saved both _Voyager_ and our galaxy.”

Worf shook his head. “Incredible”, he said, highly impressed. “I don't think that even I would have wanted to meet Species 8472. For _Voyager_ to run the gantlet of the Delta Quadrant, it is a credit to you and your crew, Mr. Tuvok.”

“We had an exemplary crew, to say the least, Chancellor, but I believe that, had anyone else been our Captain, other than Kathryn Janeway, we would have not survived the journey.”

“High praise for one's commander”, Kurn said, lifting his iced tea in salute to _Voyager's_ crew.

“Speaking of high praise, Ambassador, I was most impressed with how you put together the pieces of what happened near Fenris. I must confess, that such a ruse had never crossed my mind.”

Kurn gave a sharp bark of laughter. “I was, as they say on Earth, in the right place at the right time so many years ago, Commander Tuvok. Fortunately, both Prime Minister Sladek, and Commander Shelby were willing to listen to my idea. Without their open-mindedness, we might not be here today.”

“Speaking of Shelby”, Tuvok added, “Admiral Patterson recalled her and her fleet to Earth, so, again, your efforts have come to their full fruition today.”

“It amazes me”, Worf said, after drinking his unsweetened tea, “that Shelby fell into the hard-liners group years ago. Necheyav lost her husband at Wolf 359, so I understand her bitterness over those events, but Shelby, when she was with us on _Voyager_ , was fearless when dealing with them. I'm sure you've read about the meeting that Shelby had with Picard and Riker years ago?”

“I have, Chancellor. It was a key turning point in the fortunes of The Federation. It eventually drove Admiral Picard from Starfleet, and made Necheyav even more headstrong.”

“And it paved the way for this p'taq Sloan”, Kurn noted. “Having met Admiral Shelby, I believe she could actually be a great asset to bring all of this...unpleasantness to a close.”

“I believe, Ambassador, that Picard and Riker have most likely said as much to Patterson. That would put Patterson in an even stronger position as he tries to consolidate and change the direction for Starfleet and The Federation.”

“I hope you are right, Commander”, Chancellor Worf said with a nod. “Had Necheyav and Sloan been able to proceed much longer, I fear it would have led to a cataclysmic war in this Quadrant.”

“I share your sentiments, Chancellor.”

They continued to talk, the Chancellor and Ambassador from a proud warrior race, in a remarkably deep and far-ranging discussion with a reserved Vulcan.

All three thought there might be hope for the galaxy, if such an event could become a regular affair.

* * *

Patterson, Picard and Riker arrived within the hour, and they were beamed immediately over in close proximity to Tuvok's home.

As they approached, Patterson allowed Picard and Riker to first greet their old ship mate, whom they had not seen in close to a decade.

“Chancellor Worf”, Picard said formally, but with a broad smile on his face. “It is good to see you again, my old friend.”

“Admiral Picard”, Worf said, “such formalities and titles are not needed around fellow warriors, former comrades, and good friends. You know for you, I will always be Worf...although I have never called you Jean-Luc or Will before”, he said with arched, bushy eyebrows, making both the humans laugh, as Picard shook the man's hand.

“Indeed, Worf”, Picard said easily, “but it's an honor you've earned, and I am most proud of you.”

“Hello, my friend”, Riker said with his cherubic smile, “it's been too damn long since we sat down and talked.”

Worf shook Will's hand firmly. “I agree, Will”, Worf said, trying it out for size. “I give your my word that, in the future, we will have more time to reminisce. How is Deanna?”

“She's in good spirits”, Will said with another smile, “and she sends her love and best wishes.”

After the old friends were done, Admiral Patterson paid his respects. “Chancellor, I believe you and I last met about four years ago”, he said, saluting the Chancellor, then he looked over slyly at Kurn. “I see you all the damn time, Kurn, so you don't get a handshake.”

That made everyone but Tuvok laugh, but he raised his eyebrows at the banter.

Patterson belied his words, going up and shaking hands with the Ambassador.

“I congratulate you on your ascension to C-in-C, Admiral”, Kurn said with a curt nod. “I believe it bodes well for both The Federation and The Empire.”

“That's why I'm here, my friend”, clapping the Ambassador on the back, as Tuvok led them back to the house, where he had seats already arranged.

Over the next three hours, the five men discussed a wide range of issues, the Chancellor willing to provide a back-up for Patterson, in case Sloan could rally some Federation ships to his banner, also touching on how Patterson intended to approach Federation-Klingon relations for the foreseeable future. Worf and Kurn felt that, yes, the two entities would have better days ahead of them under Patterson's leadership at Starfleet.


	4. Chapter 4

IV

**It had taken Sloan a few days** to completely figure out what he wanted to do to lure Seven of Nine in. He had the most important part: Kathryn Janeway. Now, he put his ideas to work.

He had the _Numeri_ send a short, highly-encrypted message to Starfleet Headquarters, an eyes-only for Admiral Patterson. After the transmission had been sent, Maxwell sent the ship away at Warp 6.5, its top speed, then put in randomly selected courses, just in case anyone was following him. Even with transponders and all external communication severed, he didn't want to take any chances.

Sloan then advised Maxwell he would wait on events.

Janeway's treatment had slowly declined over the ensuing days. She hadn't been physically or even mentally tortured, but the food had become increasingly ordinary, and her daily change of clothes was no longer occurring. She could handle all that, she knew, but it was the thought that things could get a lot worse that nagged the corners of her mind.

She had no doubt Seven and her other allies were aware that she was missing, and even acknowledged to herself that they might even think she was dead. Having no ideas of what Sloan was planning, she pinned her bets on the former, not the latter.

* * *

Onboard U.S.S _Jupiter_

Patterson had utilized Captain Rocco Giovana's _Galaxy Class_ ship _Jupiter_ , to transport him between Earth and Vulcan then back. They had left Vulcan about nine hours earlier, when Starfleet Command sent him the message from Sloan.

Patterson, Giovana, Picard, and Riker watched it together. The C-in-C neither cared nor worried that that maniac had wanted it to be for his eyes only.

“ _Greetings, Admiral Patterson. I want to congratulate you on your ascension to the post of Commander-in-Chief. By the way, you're welcome for my putting you there._

“ _As you are probably aware, former Admiral Kathryn Janeway is my guest aboard the ship I have borrowed, and she is being well-treated, and has not suffered any abuse...well, at least not yet. How her treatment is going forward depends on what I'm asking for._

“ _As you know, I have a very deep...interest, shall we say, in acquiring Seven of Nine, for various reasons, not only for my interest in researching what is stored in that incredible brain of hers. There are personal reasons that I'd like to apprehend her._

“ _In a few days, I will send you instructions on when, and where, I will demand Seven of Nine meet me. I will grant Janeway her freedom if, and only if, Seven agrees to allow me to take custody of her._

“ _If she refuses, well...you can guess what the ultimate outcome of that will be.”_

His arrogant visage faded from the screen, all four men clearly angry at the bluntness of the message.

“Rocco”, Patterson said, turning to the vessel's master, “have San Francisco contact Seven of Nine immediately. They know where she currently is, and make sure she gets a copy of this message. Once we get back to Earth, I will make this public.”

“Aye, Admiral”, the Captain said, dismissing himself on his assignment. Patterson turned to the other two in the room.

“Thoughts, Gentlemen?”

“I think there's little doubt that he'll follow through in his threat to kill Janeway”, Picard observed. “he's willingly confirmed for us that he killed, or ordered the killing, of Necheyav. He can't back down now.”

“Agreed”, Riker concurred. “I believe the security around Janeway's homestead be increased, or that the entire group that is there be re-located somewhere more secure.”

“I'm thinking along those lines, Will”, Patterson said with a curt nod of his head. “Yet who knows if Sloan has been able to line up more assets that have infiltrated us. Apparently, the one missing guard was working for Jellico, and we have to assume he's part of the plot. Are there others?”

“It's simply a risk that will have to be taken, Mike”, Picard noted. “I assume Sloan and Maxwell are doing whatever they can to cover their tracks. It isn't impossible to find them with their transponders off, and running dark, but it may have left him little time to organize anything back on Earth.”

“A good point”, Patterson agreed. “I'll deploy our assets-those that had already pledged their loyalty to us during the Fenris crisis, and look around for him. They will only observe”, he added hastily. “Passive scan only, and they'll have orders to not even twitch off course if they think they've spotted him. I don't want them to endanger Kathryn.”

“You still expect that he'll change ships in the near future?”

Patterson turned to Riker. “I do, Will. The Numeri has scant armaments, he'll want a ship that has offensive firepower. We're simply waiting for someone to go off the grid, or to make a sudden, unauthorized move, and we'll know the game has begun.”

“It's possible he'll have multiple ships, as decoys.”

“I fully expect that, Picard”, the C-in-C assured him. “We've just got to take it one step at a time."

* * *

Seven of Nine was angry, yet relieved that Kathryn was apparently alive, although Sloan had given no physical proof of his claim. She reasoned that she probably was safe-Sloan's hatred for her made that highly likely.

Admiral Jellico, meeting with them and representing Patterson, offered the the option of staying at the Janeway farm, which was a few hundred acres of property, and increasing security there, or whisking them a way to a secure facility.

“Where we would take you will be a much easier area to monitor”, Jellico informed them. “I'll bring whatever we have to bring to secure the farm, but it is so large that there still could be gaps in the grid.”

He returned to San Francisco, and allowed the five people at the farm-Seven, Phoebe, B'Elanna, Tom, and The Doctor, to discuss it among themselves.

“I'm comfortable here”, Phoebe said with mild stubbornness. “I can stick to a routine here, and feel secure.”

“If Sloan would plan an operation against the farm, he'd want us to feel secure”, Seven reminded Kathryn's sister. “Whatever we do, we have to be on alert at all times, not just leave it up to Security.”

“I guess”, Phoebe had admitted grudgingly. “Any idea where they would take us?”

B'Elanna shook her head. “Not really. Jellico didn't tell us for a reason”, she noted. “If we decide to stay here-and if somehow they would attack and capture us, we can say honestly we don't know where this place is. It may be a safe area for more than just us, remember. If we decide to move, then he'll tell us.”

Tom suddenly had an idea. “You think he might let us take the _Phantom_ of the _Icheb I,_ and use that to 'hide' away from Sloan?”

Without exception, everyone raised their eyebrows.

“Why didn't you mention that when Jellico was here”, The Doctor huffed.  
  
“Gee, Doc”, Tom said with a smile, “because I just, like, thought of it now?”

“Hmpf”, The Doctor said with his thin look of disgust.

“That might not be a bad idea”, Torres said, reading everyone correctly. “We can cloak; we have the use of slipstream if we would need it in an emergency; and we have weapons that Starfleet can't match right now.”

They adjourned their powwow to contact Jellico. He agreed to the arrangement with one caveat: that they allow a trusted officer of his to be with them at all times.

They came to an agreement.

After Jellico had terminated the transmission, he made a call to the officer he had in mind.

* * *

Shortly after Admiral Elizabeth Shelby docked the U.S.S _Voyager_ at McKinley Station, she flew one of the onboard shuttles to San Francisco. She had been advised that she would be meeting with Admiral Jellico, as Patterson was currently and “unavoidably detained”, making his way back from Vulcan and the meeting with the Klingons.

Oddly, Shelby and Jellico had only met once or twice in passing. Shelby knew of Jellico's reputation, and how he had butted heads, to put it mildly, with Commander Riker, when the former had temporarily been in command of _Enterprise_ years before. He was tough, no-nonsense, but also had the rep of fiercely protecting his people. She knew that he and Riker, as well as he and Picard, had buried the hatchet some years ago.

Jellico was in his own office when she arrived, not wanting to assume anything, refusing to hold the meeting in the C-in-C's larger office.

“Admiral Shelby, reporting as ordered, sir”, she said with a crisp salute.

Jellico rose from his chair as the door had opened, and returned the salute. When he released the salute, he extended his hand to Shelby.

“Welcome home, Admiral”, he said kindly, surprising the younger woman.

“It's good to be back on Terra Firma, sir”, she said with a nervous smile.

“Please, have a seat, Elizabeth”, Jellico said, gesturing to the chair on the other side of the desk. “Can I get you anything to drink?”

“I'm usually a coffee drinker, but I've had enough of that lately. An Earl Gray would be nice.”

That made Jellico smile. “So Picard taught you other things beside lessons of command, I see?”

That made Shelby relax. “Earl Gray is the anti-coffee, sir”, she said, making him chuckle. “It's the most relaxing, non-alcoholic drink I've ever had.”

“I like how you slipped 'non-alcoholic' in there, Admiral.”

Jellico took a sip of his coffee, then began. “First of all, Elizabeth, I know you were perhaps fearing a dressing-down when you got here, but that's not in the cards. You were following orders of a superior officer.” Shelby started to speak, but Jellico firmly continued. “Just following orders have led to a lot of tragedies over the centuries. But you followed your orders, but also used objective judgment when faced with new information, and acted on it to the benefit of everyone involved.”  
  
“Sir”, she countered, “I had never considered what actually happened, and it took Ambassador Kurn to make me realize it. Perhaps had I paid closer attention, I'd have done a better job.”

“That's possible”, he agreed mildly, “but you also didn't dismiss what he said out of hand, and I'm here to tell you that more than a few would have dismissed it out of hand. You kept your independence of thought, and you served The Federation well at Fenris.”

“Thank you, sir”, she said sincerely, “yet had I just paid more attention, perhaps I would have figured it out sooner.”

“If wishes were horses, Admiral”, Jellico reminded her, taking another satisfying sip of the coffee.

“If I may sir”, Shelby said, never being shy about anything. “Why couldn't Admiral Patterson meet me today?”

That gave Jellico the opening he wanted. He laid out for her Patterson's meeting with Worf and Kurn on Vulcan, and about Sloan's communication that he was, indeed, holding Kathryn Janeway hostage, and would release her in exchange for Seven of Nine.

“Jesus”, she breathed, hearing things in detail, “that guy doesn't know when to quit, does he?” She was silent for a few moments. “What can I do to help, Admiral?”

 _Picard and Riker were right,_ Jellico thought. _She isn't just a shill like Necheyav was._

“I want to give your crew a few days of R&R, Elizabeth”, Jellico announced. “Maybe a week, but we're not sure yet. Then we'd like you to be out there, seeing if you can find Sloan.”

“How likely is it that he will remain in a freighter, Admiral Jellico?”

“A good question. We think he probably has a starship with offensive capability lined up to swap to. He had Munshif under his thumb, it would be unwise to believe there aren't others.”

“I have a request before going back out, sir?”

“Shoot.”

“May I have a meeting with Seven of Nine? I need to...apologize to her for so much, and I want to make it right, if I can.”

Jellico nodded. “I can see if Seven is open to such a meeting. We'll have to contact her at once, as she and those she are with are going to be on the move soon. If you give me a half hour, perhaps I can arrange it?”

“Very well, sir”, Shelby nodded solemnly.

* * *

Seven wasn't warm to the idea, at least not at first. She was blunt with Jellico.

“No disrespect, sir”, she said coldly, “but why in the hell would I ever meet with someone whose views helped lead to Icheb's death, and that revolting facility on Ganymede?”

Jellico didn't blink. “I understand, Seven”, he said evenly. “I won't insult your intelligence and say I know how you feel, because I don't. I can't imagine what it was like when you last saw Icheb, or the deplorable conditions in that facility, but I had a talk with Picard and Riker just before they left, about Admiral Shelby. They say above all, she's a conscientious officer, who doesn't pull punches, but is, in the end, a good person.”

“I believe I'm a good person, too, Admiral”, Seven said stiffly, “despite my...recent behavior, but how can I believe a word she would say to me. No, what she proposed didn't become Federation policy, but Necheyav and Sloan obviously used it as a pretext for going after XB's, including Icheb and myself. That's hard to overcome.”

“I suppose it is, Seven”, he said, not changing his expression. “I will only say that oftentimes, we have to forgive those who wrong us. It doesn't mean you'll forget the wrong-in this case, there's no way you ever could forget what happened to Icheb and at Ganymede. Yet people do change, they evolve, and sometimes, with more years, they see things with a little more clarity.” He paused, looking down momentarily, then back up at Seven. “I have no authority whatsoever to demand you do this, but I believe, for the sake of your own evolution, you consider it?”

Seven was surprised at the eloquence that came from this normally unemotional Admiral. She of course knew he had emotions, but his reputation was to shove those aside when in command mode-much like Seven had been like as a drone, she thought with irony. Yet how could she get beyond what she knew? At one time, she was more Borg than human, and would have thought such olive branches were irrelevant, yet she remembered that Sloan was holding Janeway, and how often had Kathryn done that very thing-to overcome one's dislike-for a great good? How could she disavow her mentor, and the woman she loved, and how could she disavow those lessons she had learned so long ago.

After what seemed an eternity, but was only perhaps a minute, Seven spoke.

“You make a compelling case, Admiral Jellico”, she said with the barest hint of a smile. “I will meet with Admiral Shelby. When can this meeting take place?”

* * *

After two days of going at high warp, then back to impulse, then back to high warp, Sloan and Maxwell were satisfied they weren't being followed.

Patterson and the others were correct-Sloan had a ship waiting for him, and despite all his jumping, he knew it was only nine hours away from his current location at Warp 4. he wouldn't push full-throttle when approaching the chosen vessel.

He would take a little time getting to that particular ship. Once he was on it, he would not only move that ship, but several others under his control, to try and confuse Patterson and his allies. He knew Patterson was no dummy, and he full well knew that Patterson anticipated all these moves on his part. Yet the aura of the unknown worked in his favor for the moment.

In three days, he estimated, he would begin his pitch to retrieve Seven of Nine.


	5. Chapter 5

V

Onboard _Voyager_ , McKinley Station

**Before Admiral Elizabeth Shelby** returned to space on _Voyager_ to begin a patrol looking for Sloan, she followed through with her desire to meet with Seven of Nine. Few things made the Admiral nervous-after all, she had helped defeat The Borg once, but facing what would obviously be an angry Seven of Nine would be intimidating to anyone who know the capabilities of that women.

Jellico had informed her that they would meet at McKinley Station, where _Voyager_ was undergoing minor repairs from her months'-long mission near Fenris. Shelby wondered if she should have security outside of her VIP quarters on McKinley, but decided against it. It would be, as Seven would say, futile to resist if she were bent on exacting revenge. Shelby didn't believe that was what Seven wanted.

A Lieutenant pressed the chime to Shelby's door, and after she gave the OK to enter, Seven of Nine entered behind the other woman.

“Lieutenant”, Shelby advised the young lady, “that will be all, thank you.”

The lieutenant nodded and left.

“Welcome, Seven”, Shelby said, not sure if she should extend her hand or not, and decided that if they were to shake hands, it would be when they concluded. “I thank you very much for accepting my invitation.”

“Hello, Admiral”, Seven said with an even voice, devoid of almost any emotion. Shelby was right-Seven was not happy with the events that had led them to this moment, but Kathryn would want her to hold this meeting, even if to let both of them air things out between them. “Thank you for the invitation.”

“Maybe I get you something to drink?”

Seven nodded. “Earl Gray, hot, if you would.”

That made Shelby smile. “I see we both have that in common, no doubt influenced by Admiral Picard.”

Seven relaxed a little. “I had consumed tea before, but had never tried Earl Gray until I met Picard. It is a relaxing beveridge.'

Shelby retrieved their drinks, and the two sat on either side of the desk in the quarters.

“Since you requested this meeting, Admiral Shelby, I suggest you begin.”

 _She'd be a good poker player, if she's ever learned,_ Shelby thought behind a passive face. Seven's own face offered nothing.

“Thank you Seven.” She took a small breath. “I know that whatever I can say will not change anything from the past, but I am so sorry for the loss of your son Icheb so many years ago. I've read up on his service record. He was a fine young officer. No one deserved what happened to him.”

Seven nodded. “Yet, isn't it correct, Admiral, that what happened to Icheb is what you yourself recommended to Picard and Riker when you presented your findings to them a few years before that? To arrest Icheb and I, and to study us.”

“That is correct, Seven”, she said, the room definitely feeling colder. “However, I never have advocated torture in the case of XB's. I have felt they can be a threat to The Federation, and I have no doubt some still could be. However”, she said firmly, as Seven began to protest, “I do not feel that way any longer about you, and I certainly would never condone what happened to Icheb. That goes against all norms of civilized behavior.”

Seven cocked her head. “How do I know you're not just prattling words to me to try and assuage your own conscience, or to keep me for maybe ripping your head off?”

The deadly words had been said with a menacing quiet, which shook Shelby even more than had Seven lurched over the desk and physically grabbed her.

“That's a fair question, Seven”, Shelby countered. “I have no way to prove what I just said is how I sincerely feel-there's nothing I can do to quantify that statement. Let's just say, since the crap that happened near Fenris, and other developments, have me seeing a lot of things differently.”

“You mean with the _Intrepid_ , and Captain Munshif?”

“That, as well as the reports and images I've seen from Ganymede”, she confirmed. “Both made me physically ill, to know that such...evil...exists still within The Federation. I found both acts repulsive.”

“As do I, Admiral”, Seven responded with a little more softness in her voice. “But I believe you'll have to earn my respect after everything that has happened. And I also am aware that I am very much at fault for much of the bullshit that is currently transpiring. I am not blameless myself.”

“Frankly, Seven, in your shoes”, Shelby observed, “I know for sure I'd have turned that Bjayzl to embers, and just might have done what you did afterward. It's understandable.”

“Nevertheless, I brought dishonor to the Rangers, to my friends, and most of all, to myself. I believe that I now have a tether that will keep me from ever doing such things again.”

“Janeway?”

For the first time, the faint hint of a smile crossed Seven's lips. “Yes, Kathryn. I don't know how much you are aware of our past for the last twenty years, but since she...captured me all those months ago, she has set me on a better path.”

“Which is why that bastard Sloan has taken her prisoner, I imagine?”

“Exactly”, Seven said with a curt nod. “I have no doubt you've learned enough to realize what Kathryn Janeway did for me in the Delta Quadrant, and, despite our estrangement, what she still means to me.”

“I have an idea, Seven”, Shelby agreed, “although the details are not important. Love works in mysterious ways, and that's all that matters.”

“Thank you, Admiral”, Seven said with a polite nod.

“I have a question for you, Seven. No, let me amend that. I have a proposition for you: would you be interested in accompanying me on _Voyager_ as we begin our patrol in looking for Sloan? You know that ship better than anyone under my command-hell, you and Torres are the reason _Voyager_ is so special.”

Seven was surprised at the offer. “I admit, being on _Voyager_ again would be a thrill, especially since I've never seen her with the upgraded that have been made. I would make one counter-offer, if I could?”

“Certainly”, Shelby said with a nod.

“I would ask that Tom Paris, B'Elanna Torres, our former EMH, and Phoebe Janeway be allowed to accompany me as well. With the exception of Phoebe, the others know _Voyager_ probably better than I do.”

Before answering, Shelby grinned. “I've been told in confidence by Jellico that there is a...copy of your EMH at Starfleet Medical now. I might like to hear how that came about once we're on our way.”

“Does that mean you agree?”

“Absolutely. For a mission like this, having the best Helmsman, the best Engineer, and the EMH that is still as advanced as he is, would be a plus to any crew. Do you think Tom and B'Elanna would accept a provisional commission to Commander, if I can get Patterson to approve it?”

“I think they might. I know asking to take Phoebe is asking a lot, but I really don't want to leave her alone. She is like family to all of us.”

“We have a few other civilians onboard, Seven, it's no problem. And I do have the extra quarters for you. I will have to raise Patterson immediately, if they're going to travel with us, as we're scheduled to shove off tomorrow around 1000.”

Shelby made the call right there, in front of Seven, and Patterson readily agreed to the idea. He added his own condition, and that was to add Tuvok to the manifest. Seven had not been aware that her Vulcan mentor had returned to Earth after the meeting with the Klingons.

Within two hours, Tom Paris, B'Elanna Torres, Tuvok, Phoebe, and The Doctor were heading toward McKinley Station onboard the _Phantom_ to link up with _Voyager_.

* * *

Aboard The U.S.S _Grant_

Captain Susan Nicoletti had been the master of the U.S.S _Grant_ , one of _Voyager's_ sister _Intrepid Class_ ships, for just over two months. Having been cross-trained in the Delta Quadrant in Engineering, Tactical, Ops, and even Stellar Cartography, she was a perfect fit for this particular ship.

She had paid her dues, and this was, as far as she was concerned, as good as it would probably get when it came to Command. She loved the _Intrepid Class_ ships, and felt a bond to them more than any other ships she had served aboard. She had also agreed, months ago, to be part of any insurgency against Admiral Necheyav if the Fenris operation went to hell.

Necheyav and that operation were long-gone now, Captain Nicoletti breathing a sigh of relief that that prospect had been avoided. Yet she had kept abreast of developments, at least insofar as she could, patrolling between Vulcan and Earth, on what was going on with her former shipmates. The news that she had received that Admiral Janeway had been taken prisoner had angered her royally.

Even with that, she wasn't expecting the news she was about to get.

Nicoletti was in her quarters, at 2100 hours, getting ready to call it a night. She had Alpha Shift at 0700 in the morning. She was one of those people who operated best on plenty of sleep, which made her wonder why the hell she had chosen this career, but it was too late to worry about that.

She had just stepped out of a hydro shower, and was drying off when she was hailed.

“ _Bridge to the Captain._ ”

“Nicoletti here, go ahead.”

“ _Captain, we have a Priority One, Eyes-Only message for you from Starfleet Headquarters. I'm routing it to your quarters now._ ”

“Thank you, Ensign”, she said, “Nicoletti out.”

She walked over to her computer after putting her nightshirt on. “Computer”, she commanded, “display Priority One message from Starfleet command, authorization Nicoletti Beta-1-5-Zeta-3.”

“ _Authorization accepted, Captain Susan Nicoletti_.”

The Captain's eyes went wide, reading the message, but a smile tinged her features. _So,_ she thought to herself, _we get to be part of the dance._

On approximately twenty other vessels-among those commanded by Harry Kim, Geordi LaForge, Mike Ayala, and Sam Lavalle, the same message had arrived, and all of them had the same general thought as Sue Nicoletti.

What surprised them is who would be leading this party.

* * *

“ _Admiral Patterson_ ”, the new message from Sloan said, the same smugness on the man's face. “ _As I mentioned, I would contact you when I was ready to make a trade freeing Admiral Janeway in exchange for Seven of Nine. I've embedded in this recording the coordinates where Seven is to meet me. You can get her here any way you like, but I must warn you: if I see more than one ship, be it civilian or Starfleet, or even Klingon, in the area, I just might execute Janeway on the spot, to hell with the cost to me and anyone else._

“ _I expect her to be at these coordinates in five days, Admiral.”_

Patterson was meeting only with Jellico at the moment. Owen Paris was heading to McKinley Station with his son and the others. Picard had rounded up his crew of _La Sirena_ to prepare them for going hunting if needed, and was in France, along with Riker.

They looked at the coordinates given. “That's a bit of a ride to get her there, Mike”, Jellico offered. “But they could be there in four days, if they left right now.”

“And you noticed where the location is, Ed?”

Jellico nodded. “Yeah, it makes me wonder what she'll meet when they get there? It could be anything.”

Patterson thought for a moment. “Bearing that possibility in mind, since Seven is with Shelby at McKinley, it only makes sense to send _Voyager_ to the rendezvous.” He gave Jellico a salty smile when he continued. “Let me run another idea by you, Ed.”

* * *

The nearest ship to the coordinates Sloan had sent was Geordi LaForge's _Galaxy Class_ ship, the _Zhukov_. He had received the same message as Nicoletti, Lavalle, and the others had received a few days earlier, now he received another one which basically said, _clear the area, immediately._

He did as ordered, but called in to Admiral Patterson on a highly encrypted, scrambled frequency for some clarification.

“It has nothing to do with you, Captain LaForge”, the C-in-C said honestly, “nor your ship. It has to do with the fact that currently, Seven of Nine is at McKinley Station, and so is Admiral Shelby with _Voyager_. I do want you to fall back, but I want you to be less than a day away from those coordinates at Warp 3 if needed. We've got to play by this asshole's rules, but if he thinks I'll leave an area more than two sectors away without other ships, he's got another thing coming to him.”

“That makes sense, Admiral. I didn't think it was anything personal, but on the surface, it did seem to be a bit of a head-scratcher.”

Patterson had a good laugh. “I'm not quite 'round the bend yet, Geordi, although I imagine I'll get there soon enough.”

“Will there be any other ships within hailing distance if needed?”

Patterson nodded. “The _Sadat_ with Sam Lavalle, and Sue Nicoletti's ship the _Grant_ will be backing you up between Earth and the coordinates I'm giving you. I'll have a couple other ships a bit further out, and Chancellor Worf has positioned the Bird of Prey _Qeh_ just inside our border in case Sloan tries to run that way. Sloan has Benjamin Maxwell driving his vessel right now, and anything could happen.”

“ _Maxwell_?” LaForge shook his head. “Yeah, he's a slippery one, all right. I was about to head us to those coordinates you sent, but I just wanted some clarification. I apologize for bothering you, Admiral.”

“It's never a bother, Captain”, Patterson assured him. “I like hearing from my Captains every now and then. I know there hasn't exactly been an open-door policy to the C-in-C for the last twenty years, but that's one of many things that are changing.”

LaForge thought of Necheyav's demise. He didn't like the woman any more than Picard did, but Sloan taking out the late C-in-C meant he was an enemy, and he would treat him as such.

* * *

The _Phantom_ arrived safely to McKinley, not having to really hide this time since the change in management at Starfleet. The seven people onboard, Admiral Owen Paris, Phoebe Janeway, Tuvok, The Doctor, B'Elanna Torres, and Tom and Miral Paris had wondered how the meeting between Shelby and Seven had gone. All of them were worried that they would be walking into a minefield.

Seven met them when they beamed aboard _Voyager_ , the three who had served on the vessel twenty years earlier looking around in wonder. They knew it was _Voyager_ , but it looked completely different on the inside, making them feel a little off-balance.

B'Elanna walked up and hugged her friend. “Hey Sev, how are you doing?”

Seven gave the Klingon hybrid a kiss on the forehead. “Things are going OK, B'Elanna”, she said with confidence. She hadn't noticed Miral, who was next to Tom, grinning at her “Aunt Seven”, like a Cheshire cat.

“Miral!” Seven almost screamed, something that would never have occurred on _Voyager_ so many years ago. They young hybrid ran up to Seven, whom she hadn't seen in years, wrapping her in a loving hug, tears falling from both their eyes.

“Aunt Seven”, Miral cried, as they moved back and forth in each others' arms. “Oh, God, it's been so long. I've missed you terribly.”

“Let me look at you, kiddo”, Seven said, now seeing a beautiful, strong, young women, not longer the child she had played with so often years ago. “My God, you look...you're your mother!” Everyone laughed, as the two women hugged.

“Reading everything after the last few months”, Miral said, wiping tears away, “I was afraid I'd never see you again.”

Seven wrapped her into another strong, loving embrace. “That's in the past now, my dear. I'm so glad you're here.”

After the joyful reunion, Seven advised them that they all were to meet with Admiral Shelby, as she had some news. As they walked toward the Admiral's Ready Room, Owen lightly grilled Seven.

“How was your meeting with Shelby?”

She smiled at the Admiral. “It went better than both of us expected I think, sir. We've found some common ground, and that common ground centers around finding this son-of-a-bitch, and getting Kathryn back.”

“That's good”, Owen said softly. “I did have some concerns.”

Seven chuckled. “So did I, Admiral, but we had a good, long conversation, and I think we have a great ally in Elizabeth.”

“Elizabeth”, Tom said with a snort. “From mortal enemy to first-name basis in two days? Nice, Seven.”

“Oh, zip it, Tom”, Seven said with another chuckle. “It didn't start out great, but we have bigger fish to fry now.”

In a few minutes, they were in the Ready Room, Shelby joining them after they had settled in. She first greeted her superior, Admiral Paris, then he introduced her to the others who had arrived.

“I know it must seem strange being back on _Voyager_ ”, she said to the veterans of the ship. “And I know you've seen already it looks different. But you made this ship what it is, and you always will have a home here when you need it.”

“Thank you”, B'Elanna said to the Admiral. “That means a lot to us.”

“I can't waste much time”, Shelby said to them all. “We are going to be getting under way shortly. Admiral Patterson has given me the coordinates where we have to be in just over five days. It's a bit of a trip, but we can make it in good time.”

Everyone had the same response as Patterson and Jellico had had when they were shown the coordinates.  
  
“Damn”, Tom said with a whistle, “that could pose some problems.”

Shelby nodded. “Indeed, Mr. Paris”, she said evenly. “Because of where we're going, Admiral Patterson has requested-more like an order, since you two and the Doctor are again officers, that the _Phantom_ go along with us.”

“Under cloak”, Torres said with a wicked grin, seeing where this was going.

Seven was looking over a hard copy of the order. “Sloan wants every Federation vessel cleared out of the area, or he is...” She swallowed hard. “Or he is threatening to kill Kathryn.” She held her nerve. “But we will have backup fairly close.”

“Yes, we will, Seven”, Shelby said with some concern. “But having the Phantom nearby might give us some advantages in case things get a little...dicey.”

Owen pointed to the star chart on the wall. “I see where Mike is stationing the other ships”, he noted, “and I like that Chancellor Worf is putting a Bird of Prey right here”, he said, pointing to a spot on the chart. “If Sloan tries to run.”

“He's got nowhere to go”, The Doctor finished for the Admiral.

“Hopefully, it won't come to that”, Shelby stated. She looked over at Admiral Paris. “Admiral, will you be coming along? If you are, I have no problem turning over command to you as the senior officer.”

Owen shook his head. “No, I'm gonna hitch a ride back to San Francisco right after you depart.” He looked over at Phoebe and his granddaughter. “You two have the choice to stay, or to return with me? No one will think less of you either way.”

Phoebe looked over nervously at Admiral Shelby. “If it's all the same, Admiral, I'd like to be around when we get Katie back. She's my only family left...well”, she said, glancing at the others, “at least officially.” The others chuckled, save Tuvok.

Miral looked at her grandfather. “I'd like to stay, too, Granddad”, she said, not showing any timidity. “That is, if it's OK with the Admiral. I promise, I'll be out of everyone's hair.”

“You're welcome to stay, Ms. Paris”, Shelby said kindly. “I understand that Kathryn is truly part of your family. That's been made quite clear to me”, she said, turning to smirk at Seven, who blushed.

“You keep your promise to me, young lady”, Owen smiled warmly at his granddaughter. “Stay out of everyone's hair.” Miral got up and hugged her Granddad.

“What are our primary responsibilities while onboard _Voyager_ , Admiral?”

Shelby had anticipated that question. “Mr. Tuvok, I will have you, Tom, B'Elanna, and The Doctor onboard the _Phantom._ Admiral Patterson feels that, because of where we're going, it might be a good card to hold. You'll be like our 'pathfinder' if you will, going slightly ahead of us, and drawing intel. I've read the specs on the Phantom, and I know it's much smaller than _Voyager_ , but it's impressive as hell.”

“What about me, Admiral?”

Shelby turned to Seven. “With your experience, and since you have so much at stake here, Seven, I'd like you to be, for this mission, my First Officer. For several reasons. You're highly qualified for the position; you know Kathryn, how she thinks, and you've met Sloan. You have me beat on both counts. You are under no obligation to acc...”

“I do accept, Admiral”, Seven said proudly. “And to think I avoided Starfleet for so long.” More snickers erupted.

“Then it's settled?” Shelby looked around the room. “Very well, we depart in four hours at”, she glanced at her chronometer, “1930 Fleet Standard. Until then, you're dismissed. I invite you to have dinner with me in the Mess Hall at 1730.”

* * *

At approximately the same time, the freighter _Numeri_ was approaching the coordinates where Sloan would be in expectation of Seven of Nine being delivered to him. He had not told any of the crew, including Captain Maxwell, who or what they were meeting with beforehand.

Maxwell hailed Sloan, who was in his quarters. “Sloan, Maxwell, we're approaching Arloff IX, per your instructions.”

“Thank you, Captain”, he said calmly, heading to The Bridge.

When he arrived, the helm advised him and Maxwell further. “Captain, at coordinates.”

“All stop”, Maxwell ordered, “On screen.”

They were looking at a big fat nothing, Maxwell turning a suspicious eye to Sloan.

Sloan rolled his eyes. “Ops, let me talk to the ship.”

“Aye, sir”, Ops said.

“Attention all hands on the Numeri. Shortly, we will have another ship in front of us. When you see it, please relax, I assure you it is under the control of friends to our cause. Sloan out.” Sloan turned again to Ops. “Open hailing frequencies.”

In moments, frequencies were opened. “To the vessel nearby: this is Sloan, aboard the freighter _Numeri_. Identify yourself.”

“Numeri, this is the _V_ _authil_ , stand by.”

Everyone looked at the screen, the tension suddenly rising. It took a few moments, but an image began to appear, a bright green light shimmering into existence before them. Everyone on The Bridge caught their breath-even Maxwell.

“Holy shit”, he breathed. He looked over at Sloan. “A fuckin' Romulan Warbird!”


	6. Chapter 6

VI

“ **What the** _ **hell**_ **is going on, Sloan!** ”

Benjamin Maxwell's eyes bored in on the Section 31 head, wondering what kind of double-cross this was. He hadn't bargained for this. He had assumed they would transfer to a more heavily armed Federation vessel.

“Calm down, Maxwell”, Sloan retorted angrily to the man. “That ship is under _my_ control, I assure you.”

“How the hell do you have control of a Romulan Warbird?”

“That doesn't concern you, Ben”, Sloan said a little more calmly. “It is under my control, as a gift, as it were from the Romulan Free State. There are both members of the RFS and Federation personnel onboard, but they answer to me.”

“Goddammit”, Maxwell said, _sotto voce_. “You _really_ want to start a major war in the quadrant, don't you? The Federation is going to send a _Galaxy_ , or a _Sovereign_ , or perhaps an _Intrepid_ _Class_ here. You don't think when news gets back to San Francisco about that, there won't be hell to pay? You don't think the Klingons will get pissed off? You're outta your mind.”

Sloan looked at the man carefully. He had recruited Maxwell himself, the man angry at so many within The Federation for his imprisonment years before. He knew the man, despite still being just a Captain, was a sharp as any Admiral or anyone else who could command a ship. The type of ship didn't matter. But now, he began to wonder...

“Maxwell”, he said reasonably, “do you think I'd put my own life on the line, having a Warbird in front of me like this? There are things about me, and about this entire operation, that you don't, and won't ever, know about. But I intend to come out of this on top. This may be the best chance to do so.”

“Who is in charge of that ship right now?”

Sloan waved him off. “You'll find that out momentarily, as you and I will be beaming over to meet the current commander. I have already informed them that, while in Federation space, you will be in command. If we cross into RFS territory, they take command. That's only fair.”

Maxwell accepted that for the moment. “Let's just get on with it”, he growled.

A few minutes later, they were on the Transporter pad. “Sloan to _Qeh,_ two to beam over.” Seconds later they materialized on the Romulan ship. Maxwell's jaw dropped when he saw who was greeting them.

“Hello gentlemen”, the familiar face said to them both. “Welcome aboard the _Qeh_.”

* * *

The _Phantom_ , with Tom, B'Elanna, Tuvok, and The Doctor onboard, left McKinley Station five hours before _Voyager_. Fifteen minutes after departure, the ship cloaked, and would remain cloaked until ordered otherwise by Admiral Shelby. They had no illusions that this was a dangerous mission, even with two ships of the caliber of _Voyager_ and _Phantom._

The four friends talked about the mission, but the subject morphed into a discussion about Kathryn Janeway and Seven.

“I remember walking into Seven's house on Dorvan V, after the service for Chakotay”, B'Elanna recalled, her eyes shut, as if trying to whitewash the memory. “I was just going to the bathroom, and...”

“You walked in on The Doctor. “Yeah. I had to step between them-I thought they were gonna come to blows, they were...I'd _never_ had seen either of them like that, before or since. Tom”, he said, turning to her husband, “you remember all the crying I did at our hotel that night?”

“Yeah”, he said with some surprise. “I thought all of that was about Chakotay. Are you saying...”

“Oh, a lot of it was losing Chakotay. You know I loved him dearly as my friend, and losing him...it hit all of us hard. But, Khaless, I think most of it was the anger...the _hatred..._ especially from Seven, that came out in the conversation.”

“The Captain, Seven-and Chakotay”, The Doctor amended, “had a complicated, emotional relationship.”

“No kidding”, B'Elanna said with a snort of derision.

“What I mean is that, yes, Seven married the Commander, and I was happy for both of them. Yet I knew, at least by that time, that Kathryn was heartbroken-not so much because she didn't want Seven and Chakotay to have a good life together, but she felt it could have been her life-I think at one time with either one of them. And that, well...the rest is history. Unfortunately I was not aware of all of this for years, having been imprisoned in Starfleet Medical”, he said with disgust.

“I don't think I've ever quite looked at it that way, Doc”, Tom lamented, “but yeah, I think you've hit the proverbial nail on the head.”

Tuvok was hesitant to speak, as being a Vulcan, he held his emotions tight, as Vulcans almost had to do in order to function, yet being here, among those he considered not just friends, but lifelong comrades, whom he had been to hell and back with, he finally felt he could reveal something that he had held to himself for years.

“I remember you leaving the house, seeing the anger, and some tears on your face, B'Elanna”, Tuvok began.

“That's right.” She gave him a small smirk. “I was mad as hell, and hurt as hell, and if I remember, the look on my face warned you not to come near me?”

“Precisely”, Tuvok said with a nod. “When I entered, simply to check on Kathryn, as I had not seen her in a while, the two were close to blows again. And you are right, I have never seen either that out-of-control. As a Vulcan, I keep my emotions and my feelings in check, for reasons we all know, and it suits me and my people. However”, he said looking at the other three, “I must say that, when I returned to my room that night, I was deeply disturbed by those events. It is unusual, but not unheard of for a Vulcan, but...I had several tears come out of my eyes. It was that distressing to me.”

The other three wanted to stare in amazement at Tuvok, but they couldn't. They knew full well his devotion of decades to Kathryn Janeway, and his place as Mentor to Seven. In his own Vulcan way, he loved them both, deeply.

“Do not feel ashamed, Mr. Tuvok”, The Doctor said with a small smile. “When Seven told me the story not long ago, I would have done the same thing, had I been able. I just can't imagine those two almost coming to blows. I can't even fathom it.”

“I am not ashamed of it, Doctor”, Tuvok replied stoically. “However, as you know Vulcan's do have powerful emotions. To simply let out what I did, is akin to a Human sobbing uncontrollably for an hour. And”, he continued, as Tom started to object, “that is not a criticism of Humans, Mr. Paris. To the contrary. It can be quite cathartic. When I think about what I saw, and my later reaction, I do sometimes wish I could have that hour-long sob, for what I saw hurt me very deeply.”

“You old softy, Tuvok”, Torres said, actually going over and giving him a soft squeeze, Tuvok accepting it, knowing that, despite their vast cultural divide, he and B'Elanna were friends, and would not hesitate to die for the other.

"Perhaps in my older age, B'Elanna”, you are correct." His eyebrows shot up, and B'Elanna swore she saw a twinkle in his eyes.

“You have a lot of life still in you yet, old friend”, B'Elanna said, giving him one more squeeze, then sitting back down.

“And it seem they've come full-circle”, Tom noted. It wasn't exactly a newsflash, everyone knew that. “Remember the venom in both their eyes and voices when we captured Seven?” He shook his head. “Perhaps you can get angrier at someone you truly love, than you can at any enemy?”

“Yeah, well”, B'Elanna said, rolling her eyes, “you're living proof of that.” Tom and the Doctor laughed, as Tuvok raised his eyes again, in obvious mirth.

“That is often the case, Mr. Paris”, Tuvok opined. “Which is why I wanted to be on this mission. I have the highest respect and admiration for both Kathryn and Seven. The truth is, in my own way, I do love both of them-as all of us do. It is my hope that we can help them complete their 'coming full-circle', as you said, Mr. Paris. Both of them deserve another chance to travel through life together.”

“Wow, Tuvok”, Tom said, with his still-boyish grin, “you _are_ getting to be a softy in your old age, aren't you?”

As the others laughed, Tuvok nodded his head in agreement.

* * *

“Gentlemen, welcome onboard the _Qeh_.”

“Commander Sela”, Sloan said with a slight bow of his head. “It has been a long time since we last saw each other.”

“Indeed”, the half Human/half Romulan woman said. “I haven't forgotten you in all those years, Mr. Sloan.”

“What the hell is going on?” Admiral Maxwell looked between the other two with suspicion. “You're an avowed enemy of Starfleet, Commander”, he said pointedly. “Sloan, how did you get involved with this woman?”

Sloan gave an exasperated sigh. “It's a long story, my friend”, he said with a wave of the hand, “and I don't have time to get into it right now, but I assure you that what we do here is for the betterment of The Federation, as well as the Romulan people.”

“He is right, Captain Maxwell”, Sela said, with those blazing blue eyes that could make most people go cold. “Remember, I am part Human myself, as you know. I want to see a quadrant that is at peace, and with strong, stable governments to keep the peace.”

“You?” Maxwell snorted. “You talk about peace? After you conspired with the Duras family so many years ago to foment a Klingon Civil War?”

“That was then, Captain”, Sela responded, unperturbed, “this is now. The only truly stable entity in the Quadrant is the Klingon Empire. That has to be rectified. Left to the likes of Admiral Patterson-or even Necheyav before him, The Federation would be at the mercy of The Klingons. The Federation and the Romulan Free State can counter and balance their presence.”

“All this is quite illuminating”, Sloan said dryly, “but we are wasting time. Per our agreement, Commander, Maxwell, if he so chooses, is now in command of this ship while we are in Federation space. I think it's high time we transport our...special guest over, and get on with it?”

Sela escorted the two men to the Bridge, Maxwell stunned to see both a Human and Romulan crew manning the large area. Again, he wondered what the hell was going on. But he had thrown in with Sloan. He couldn't back out now.

* * *

Kathryn Janeway missed the great food she had received early on in her captivity. Now all she received was, at best, slop, Sloan's promise notwithstanding. Although she had not been physically tortured, the lights in her “quarters” were always on, Janeway unable to turn them off, and loud music was piped in at all hours.

There was a guard in her room at all times. Usually, her guards rotated between the same three males, and one female. They hadn't touched her, yet all four-especially the female, was present in front of her without fail, even when she undressed, took a shower, or had to take care of her personal needs. The three men were younger, and didn't think much of an older woman, but the female raked her eyes up and down Kathryn constantly, especially when she was nude, making little sexual innuendos at every chance she got.

She had grown weaker, physically for sure, although she knew they'd have to do more to her than keep the lights on and pump in music to break her mentally. After a while, she got used to both, and was usually able to sleep, at least somewhat, through the distractions.

She had just taken a shower-the female looking at her through the clear glass door, one hand down her pants as she smirked at Janeway, which disgusted her beyond belief. Just as she finished dressing, two other guards entered the room, which was unusual.

“Time to go, Janeway”, one of them said with a sneer.

“I'm being released?”

“No, you are getting a 'transfer' to another ship, that's all you need to know.”

“Too bad”, the female guard purred. “I was enjoying getting off while watching you take a shower.”

Janeway wanted to spit at the woman, but thought better of it. She would likely never see this woman again after today.

They escorted her to the transporter room, in handcuffs.

“Qeh”, the one guard said smartly, “one to beam to your location.”

“ _Acknowledged_ ”, came the quick reply.

Kathryn shimmered off the pad, moments later re-materializing on another transporter pad, to her horror, a Romulan faced her at the controls. Sloan was there to greet her.

“Admiral”, he said with a smug grin, “it's good to see you again. Guards? Bring her with me.”

Janeway, like Maxwell, was stunned to see Humans among what was obviously a Romulan Warbird. Minutes later, they were on the Bridge, where Maxwell was conferring with a Romulan woman. The Human and the Romulan turned to her.

“Admiral Janeway”, Commander Sela said with a cold smile, a guard at her side, “I've heard a lot about you. I must admit, I'm kind of a fan of you, and your exploits in the Delta Quadrant.”

“Who are you?” Janeway looked back at the women with the same coldness.

“I'm Commander Sela”, she said, bowing her head slightly. “I serve the Romulan Free State. I have a feeling you've heard of me.”

“Tasha Yar's daughter”, Janeway said in a whisper. “My God.” She turned to look at Maxwell. “Has Sloan told you who he really is? That he grew up on...”

The guard next to Sela slugged her hard in the face, knocking Janeway over, a cut and bruise forming under her eye.

“That's not for you to discuss, Admiral”, Sloan said in a conversational voice. The guard helped Janeway up. Another guard, a Human, came forward with a dermal re-generator to heal the cut and bruise. “You are in no position to sew discord here.”

Janeway hadn't missed the confusion on Maxwell's face when she had started to explain who Sloan was, filing that bit of information for later.

“Well, since introductions have been made”, Sloan said with a smile, “it's time to get on with this mission. Sloan turned to the Tactical Officer, a very tall, well-built Romulan. In a moment, the _Numeri_ was centered on the large screen to their front.

Sloan nodded at the Tactical Officer, who nodded back.

The ship slightly shuddered as two Romulan disruptor weapons sped toward the Numeri, in seconds, the freighter blown to nothing, with all hands on board.

Janeway and Maxwell turned simultaneously to Sloan.

“What the _fuck_ is going on, Sloan!” That had been his ship. It wasn't much, but it had been him, and he had taken care of that crew. “Why would you blow my ship and crew to pieces like that?”

“Just a little...housecleaning, my dear Captain”, he said dismissively. “Too much of a liability for the future, if you get my drift. Please”, he said with a cold menace, “remember that as we go forward, Maxwell.”

Janeway wondered what all this was about, but her reasoning told her that Seven was probably coming for a possible exchange. Janeway raged inside that Seven would do such a thing, but knew the heart of that woman, who would do that for anyone that she loved. Kathryn had to keep her wits about her, knowing full well there wasn't much, at least at the moment, that she could do.


	7. Chapter 7

VII

Three Days Later, The Beta System

**Tuvok was at the helm as the** _Phantom_ approached the area where Sloan had indicated he would meet whatever ship would bring Seven of Nine to him. The Doctor was with him as well, reading over some information about Sloan, Section 31, and where they were heading, allowing Tuvok to concentrate on flying.

Tom and B'Elanna had turned in about six hours earlier, to get some much-needed rest. Tuvok wasn't thrilled with waking them, but they were nearing a place where they might not get much rest for a while.

“Tuvok to Paris and Torres”, he said calmly.

“ _Go ahead, Tuvok_ ”, Tom Paris said with a groggy voice.

“We are approaching the designated coordinates at Arloff IX.”

Paris sounded wide awake when he answered. “ _We'll be there in a moment, Paris out_.”

Five minute later, Tom and B'Elanna were on The Bridge, Tom now at the helm, Tuvok at Tactical, B'Elanna at the Engineering station, and The Doctor at Ops.

“According to this”, Paris said, after doing a perfunctory check of his systems, “we're within five million kilometers of the location.”

“Nothing on scanners”, Tuvok allowed, slightly curious that nothing was here. They were a day ahead of _Voyager,_ so it wasn't completely unexpected.

“Maybe they're not here yet”, B'Elanna noted. “They're throwing this party, so I would expect that we'd see something nearby.”

“Not at the moment”, Tom said with a sigh. He would have loved another few hours of sleep, but Tuvok had been asked to wake them when they arrived.

“I'll begin a slow, counter-clockwise scan around the planet, making it our center-point”, the helmsman said. “Might as well not stay idle.”

Despite the absence of any ship in the area, all four of them felt the tension rising.

* * *

Aboard _Voyager_

“Admiral”, Seven alerted Shelby from her First Officer's chair, as Shelby was in her quarters, “we've just received the hyper sub-space message from _Phantom_ that they are at the rendezvous point.”

“ _Thank you, Seven_ ”, Shelby replied. “ _I'll be right out_.”

Within two minutes, Shelby appeared.

“Admiral on The Bridge”, Seven announced calmly. No one would rise, as Shelby would have scoffed, but it was protocol to let the crew know she was at the Conn.

“What have we got, Number One”, Shelby said, as was her tradition, going back to hearing it form Picard. For all the grief the two of them had given each other over the years, she never stopped emulating him in more than a few ways.

“Current heading 155 mark 232, Warp 3, all systems normal, Admiral.”

“Thank you, Commander Hansen”, Shelby nodded. She had given Seven the provisional rank of Commander, and to make it easy, Seven had agreed to go by her birth name. “Commander Seven of Nine” just didn't quite work.

Shelby sat in the command chair, bringing up the transmission that Tuvok had sent. “No sign of the _Numeri._ Not unexpected, but it'd be nice if we had some idea where they are.”

Seven glanced at the information on her screen at the First Officer's chair, showing the location of the meeting. And idea struck her.

“Is it possible that, knowing Sloan's history, that he may have the ship in Romulan territory, perhaps masked from sensors?”

“I thought about that, Seven”, Shelby said with a nod, “but even with his...unique history, I think he'd be playing with fire doing that.” Shelby was up to speed on exactly who Sloan really was, that thought not only playing with the corners of her mind, but with anyone else who know Sloan's biography.

“I don't know why”, Seven said cautiously, “but something...is just not right here.”

“Whatever it is, Number One”, Shelby pointed out, “we'll find out soon enough. At midnight, we go on Yellow Alert.”

* * *

Three hours into their slow circle of Arloff IX, Tuvok got a hit on sensors.

“Mr. Paris”, he announced, “I am picking up some scattered echoes of some kind, four-hundred thousand kilometers off the starboard, sending you coordinates.”

“Got it, Tuvok”, Tom said, adjusting the course of their ship. A slow fifteen minutes later, they were at the coordinates. “What are sensors saying, Tuvok?”

“Sensors are detecting some a fine layer of what I believe is debris, but there isn't a lot to go on.”

“Let me adjust the sensors to analyze what's out there”, The Doctor suggested. It took only a few taps of his console. “I'm picking up mostly duranium and tritanium, as well as some...” The Doctor stopped. “Tuvok, are there any piece large enough to beam onboard to examine?”

Tuvok scanned the field. “I am retrieving a piece approximately one meter by three meters.”

“Bring it right here to The Bridge.”

Everyone suddenly caught wind of what he was thinking.

“The _Numeri_?”

B'Elanna wasn't too busy at the moment. “Let me pull up the specs for _Numeri_ , and see what her makeup was.”

The Doctor had the piece in front of him in a matter of moments. He pulled out a tricorder to scan the piece of debris. “B'Elanna, I'm sending you the results of the scan to your console.”

“Got it, Doc.” B'Elanna compared the scan of the debris to the makeup of the _Numeri,_ looking up in horror. “It's an exact match.” She glanced around the room.

“That doesn't mean what I think we're all thinking it might mean, guys”, Tom said hastily.

“Tom”, B'Elanna said, “this piece is from the _Numeri_ , of that there's no doubt.”

“I think what Mr. Paris might be alluding to”, Tuvok reasoned, “is that it's possible that, as was hypothesized, Sloan has transferred his flag to another ship, and has Kathryn with him.”

“Admiral Patterson was pretty sure he wouldn't stay on a freighter, with limited defense and weapons capability.”

“Precisely, Doctor”, Tuvok agreed. “It may be they are currently not in the area, and on a different vessel.”

B'Elanna didn't like any of this. “Something is just...not right about this”, she said, in the same tone Seven had used on _Voyager_ not long before that.

Tuvok insisted that _Voyager_ needed the information, but he didn't want to send Seven into a panic. They decided to send an eyes-only message to Shelby, that would route directly to her command chair on that ship.

* * *

Shelby read the message carefully, knowing why Tuvok had sent it, and only so she could read it. The Bridge crew knew she had received a message.

“Admiral”, Seven inquired. “Does _Phantom_ have more information?”

Shelby phrased her response carefully. “Only that they believe that Sloan and his crew have transferred to another ship. They didn't give much in the way of details”, she hedged, “but it was something that we knew was possible.”

Shelby was as cool a customer as existed in The Federation, but Seven noticed a slight change in the Admiral's heartbeat and a slight dilation of her eyes. Seven had learned discretion over the years. On _Voyager_ years ago, she would have pressed Captain Janeway for an explanation to the change, but here, and now, she didn't push it.

* * *

The _Qeh_ was a very old Warbird. After the collapse of the Romulan Empire, most military ships had been pirated and scrapped for the metal and some of the technology to help people simply live. This particular ship was forty-five Earth years old. It was still a formidable ship, whose disruptors could still destroy almost anything, and it's cloak, while not as good as what the Klingons now had-or what _Phantom_ had, it could still give an enemy a major headache.

One thing this Warbird couldn't do was fire while cloaked, and because spare parts were hard to come by, it had developed that its long-range sensors were nowhere as effective when cloaked. Sela had explained this to both Sloan and Maxwell, but none of them had seen it as a major concern. They could de-cloak, take a full, long-range sensor sweep in twenty seconds, and go invisible once again. They had done it several times since arriving in the Beta Sector.

They hadn't done it since _Phantom_ had arrived on station.

True to her word, Commander Sela had let Maxwell run the ship as they were in Federation space. She was available if needed on anything technical, but she knew Ben Maxwell's reputation as a cunning Captain, and he could handle just about anything.

The Romulan First Officer who was assigned to Maxwell gave him a timely reminder about getting some long-range information.

“Captain Maxwell”, the middle-aged man said stiffly, but politely, “it's time to do a long-range sensor sweep, sir.”

“Thank you, Sub-Commander Selk.” He turned to his Tactical officer. “Mr. Brighton, disengage cloak, Ops, prepare long-ranger sensor sweep.”

“Aye Captain”, both men said from their respective positions.

“Cloak disengaged, Captain.”

* * *

Tuvok was the one resting now. He had been up fourteen hours straight, B'Elanna finally...convincing him...that he needed to rest. Right now, it was just she and Tom, as the Doctor had shut down for the time being.

“According to what Seven sent us”, B'Elanna noted, sitting in the co-pilot seat to the right of Tom, “ _Voyager_ is about nineteen hours away.” She rubbed her eyes. She had slept decently, but the building tension and stress was gnawing at her.

“Can't be soon enough”, Tom replied. “Only thing missing from this scene has having old Harry here with us”, he said, smiling over at his wife.

“It was good to see Harry, even under the circumstances at Ganymede”, B'Elanna said with her own smile. “I'm so damn proud of him.”

“Me, too, although even now, he can't relax around Janeway”, he said with a stifled laugh. “She still thinks he's gonna sprain something.”

B'Elanna laughed at the mental image that Tom had raised. Just as she was about to respond, an alarm sounded.

“Sensors are picking up a ship, B'El”, Tom said first, “202 mark 127.”

“On screen”, Torres said, as she gave the command to the computer.

“Oh my fuckin' God”, Tom said, barely able to breathe at what he beheld.

“Son of a _bitch_ ”, B'Elanna said in the same voice.

No more than ten-thousand kilometers, directly ahead now, was the glowing green of a Romulan Warbird.

“What the _fuck_ are they doing here?” B'Elanna pressed a button on her console, The Doctor materializing suddenly.

“I wasn't quite ready to wake up...oh, my God”, the hologram said in disbelief.

“Paris to Tuvok.”

“ _Go ahead, Mr. Paris_.”

“You need to get your ass parked up here ASAP. We got trouble.”

No more than thirty seconds later, Tuvok was on The Bridge, the sight on the screen stopping him in his tracks, although his face didn't change.

“I concur in your assessment, Mr. Paris: we 'got' trouble.”


	8. Chapter 8

VIII

Two Hours Later

“ **Admiral”, Ops said in an excited voice** , “incoming message from _Phantom_ , it's marked urgent.”

“Let me have it at the Conn”.

Admiral Elizabeth Shelby read the message from the cloaked ship that was now only about half a day ahead of _Voyager._

Seven was sitting in the First Officer's chair. It had taken Seven a long time to simply accept sitting, as it had been foreign to her for most her life up until Janeway had severed her from The Collective. It had become simply part of her life over the years, but for some reason, it still had never felt quite “natural. _Had I been given a chair like this to sit in from the beginning, I would have enjoyed sitting a lot more,_ she thought to herself with a smirk.

She was startled out of that thought a moment later, as Shelby stood.

“Red Alert! Helm, on my authority, increase to Warp 6, current course!”

“Aye Admiral!”

“What is it, Admiral?”

Shelby indicated for Seven to sit for a moment at the Conn, reading over the message. “Good God”, Seven breathed, looking up at Shelby, then coming to her feet.

“That's about the size of it”, Shelby said crisply. “Ops, let me talk to the ship.” Shelby gave it a second then spoke to her crew. “Attention all hands, this is the Admiral. We have just received word from _Phantom_ that a Romulan Warbird de-cloaked in front of them several hours ago. Earlier, they advised me that they had found debris consistent with that of the freighter _Numeri.”_  
  
Shelby glanced over at Seven, who became pale. Now wasn't a time to hold back what she was telling her crew. “ _Phantom_ advises they believe that Admiral Janeway is now aboard the Warbird, as that ship has apparently not left the area. We've increased to Warp 6. Estimated time to coordinates now four hours and seventeen minutes. We are at battle stations until further notice. Shelby out.”

“Admiral”, Seven advised her, now back in her chair, “I have the information ready to send to Starfleet Command on your orders.”

“Do it, Number One”, Shelby said without missing a beat.

“Tactical, I want a full check on all weapons systems, Ops same with communications. I want to make sure we're ready when we arrive.”

Shelby finally sat back down. “When you asked me earlier, Seven, if Phantom had any news, it was about the _Numeri_. I didn't want to unduly frighten you. I just wanted to see if another ship was spotted before advising you.”

“In your shoes, I'd have done the same thing, Admiral. If that Warbird had fled, I'd be more worried than I already am.”

“We'll get her back, Seven”, Shelby said without flinching.

Seven could only nod.

* * *

It was 0300 Federation Standard time in San Francisco, when Admiral Patterson was awaken in his home by his communicator.

 _I'm getting too damn old to be waken in the middle of the night,_ the Starfleet C-in-C thought wryly. He didn't plan to be C-in-C for long, hopefully just long enough to get The Federation back on the right course, then he would take a very deserved retirement.

“Patterson here.”

“ _Admiral, Flags here, sir, we've received a High Priority message from Admiral Shelby that you contact her immediately.”_

“Route her transmission to me in about three minutes. I just need a moment to get up.”

“ _Aye, sir. Flags out_.”

Three minutes later, on the dot, Shelby's face appeared on his desktop screen.

“Admiral Shelby”, Mike Patterson said with a raised eyebrow, “I'm sure you wouldn't wake me at 0300 simply to pass the time?”

“No Admiral”, she said, ignoring the humor. “We have a problem. _Phantom_ has reported that the _Numeri_ apparently was destroyed. They also advise that a Romulan Warbird de-cloaked near their position, then re-cloaked a short time later.”

“Goddammit”, Patterson swore. “So you're assuming that Sloan has, to put it mildly, returned home?”

“That's what we believe, Admiral, and we're pretty sure Janeway is with. The ship de-cloaked a second time, and it seems they're the ship we're gonna rendezvous with.”

“ _That_ I didn't expect”, he said bitterly. He sighed, which was about as much excitement as he showed at the moment, knowing he had to play the hand dealt. “Very well, Admiral, I shall get my team together here. I'm heading into Starfleet Command in a few moments. How far are you from the coordinates?”

“I increased our speed after the report, and we should be there in just over two hours, sir.”

“Very well, let me get moving. Until I get those I want to hear this together, I'm ordering you to stop-just long enough so we can flesh out a few things here.”

“I understand, Admiral. I'll wait for your transmission.”

“Thank you, Elizabeth, Patterson out.”

Twenty minutes later, he was at Starfleet Headquarters, calling in the Alpha shift, as it were, and summoning Admirals Jellico, Paris, Riker and Picard.

* * *

“Just great”, groused Admiral Owen Paris. “Can we throw any more variables into this?”

“Calm down, Owen”, Admiral Mike Patterson said, not without some humor. “It makes some sense if you think about it.”

“I'm sure he's seen his share of Romulan warships”, Ed Jellico offered. “Question is, whose he in league with that would still have a Romulan Warbird?”

“According to the last transmission from _Voyager_ , _Phantom_ was able to identify the ship as the _Qeh_ , a bird that's going on fifty Earth years in age.”

“Have we been able to pull up any information on that ship?”

“More than you might imagine, Will”, Patterson nodded. “She fought for the Quadrant Alliance during the Dominion War, and has been noted in numerous instances involving us, the Klingons, and the Cardassians. She was once considered the flagship of that fleet.”

That caught Picard's attention. “Mike, when was she considered as such?”

Patterson tapped some information on his PADD. About twenty five or thirty years ago. Why?”

“Do we have any information on who commanded her?”

Patterson continued to scan the information. His eyes grew wide. “The most notable name on here is Commander Sela, Jean-Luc.”

That quieted the room.

“You don't think she's on that ship, Jean-Luc”, Will Riker said. “We don't know what happened to any of the Romulan bigwigs after the destruction of Romulus. Tomalak, Sela, Nerel. It's a blank slate.”

“I understand that, Number One”, Picard responded, not even realizing what he had called Will just then. “But surely I can't imagine a surviving Warbird being in just anyone's hands. If Sloan knew about it-and obviously he did, someone of importance is probably attached to it. I doubt Tomalak is even alive now, but Nerel and Sela were both very young when we met them.”

“Why destroy the _Numeri_? That makes no sense”, Jellico inquired.

Patterson shrugged. “Too many people on there who know too much, perhaps?”

“Or Sloan just doesn't give a damn about anyone”, Paris added.

“Probably some of both”, Will Riker offered. “Be that as it may, if Maxwell is on there, he knows how to handle any ship, even a Romulan one. Even an old Romulan one. I don't think he was on the _Numeri_ when they destroyed it.”

“Agreed”, Picard nodded intently. “He's as cunning and as resourceful as any Captain I ever encountered.”

“Have you informed The Klingons, Mike?”

“I sent a brief communique to Chancellor Worf, just before you arrived, Ed. I believe the appearance of a Romulan ship in Federation space isn't going to make the Klingons feel all warm and fuzzy. I wouldn't be surprised if Worf shifted some assets to the border with the RFS, or even into RFS territory.”

Riker whistled. “Sloan may yet get his Quadrant-wide war, gentlemen.”

“Right now, there's not a helluva lot we can do. The mission, right now, is to free Janeway, hopefully without Seven ending up on that ship”, Patterson advised them all. “One step at a time, gentlemen. I will put more ships on alert, just in case.”

The five men continued to discuss the situation, but as Patterson said, it was pretty much out of their hands at the moment, which frustrated them. One part of commanding was knowing when to simply let your subordinates run with their best judgment. That mean, at the moment, Admiral Elizabeth Shelby currently was the most important person within Starfleet.

* * *

“Commander”, a Human Ops officer onboard _Qeh_ advised. “We have a contact, four million kilometers off our starboard, bearing 177 mark 232. Matching to a Federation _Intrepid Class_ ship."

Commander Sela glanced down at her information screen at the Conn. “Remain cloaked, Lieutenant, advise Sloan and Maxwell. They'll want to be here”, she said through tight lips. She loathed both men, even though she and Sloan, at one time, had served the same cause. But she had made a deal, and it was something that she wouldn't break.

“I hear we have guests”, Sloan commented, as Sela ceded command to Maxwell. Benjamin Maxwell didn't like the idea of being on a Romulan ship-he had faced more than a few in his career-but even as old as the ship was, it's capabilities-and it's massive size-greatly impressed the man.

“Do we have an ID on which ship it is?” Maxwell scanned the readings at his station.

“No, Captain”, the same Ops officer stated. “Only can tell it's an _Intrepid_.”

Maxwell turned to Sloan and Sela. “If I had anything to bet, Sloan, I would say it's _Voyager_.”

“Janeway's old ship?” Sela gave a small smile, thinking if that was the case, she could appreciate the symbol being sent by bringing Janeway's ship to rescue her.

Sloan smiled as well. “I won't bet against you, Maxwell”, Sloan nodded, “but that ship was under command of Shelby and she was working for us.”

“You mean until you killed Necheyav?”

“Yes, until then”, Sloan said crossly. “If it is _Voyager_ , I doubt she's in command.”

“Be that as it may, Gentlemen”, Sela interrupted the wagering among the two men, “it doesn't matter. An _Intrepid_ is a formidable adversary, even if it is nowhere near as massive as this ship. I would suggest, Captain”, she said, turning to Maxwell, with a hard look on her face, “that we remained cloaked until the appointed minute of the meeting.”

“Only makes sense, Commander”, he said with his own, hard voice. We have five hours until that time. Everyone, just relax for a while.”

Sela had never liked the laid-back attitude of Humans. It was time to harden oneself for possible battle, not take a coffee break then wait developments. She kept that thought to herself.

* * *

Patterson had informed Shelby that _Voyager_ could continue its course, as her mission parameters had not changed. _Phantom_ had stopped any communication with Shelby and her ship, which was expected as they approached. The Admiral was well aware that both the Warbird and _Phantom_ could see them on sensors, even though she could see neither on of them.

After meandering for a while, Shelby had delivered _Voyager_ where it was requested at the time requested, and she waited.

“I'll bet you Sloan is thinking we're in for some huge surprise when he de-cloaks”, Seven told Shelby wryly.

“Another reason I'm glad we have _Phantom_ out here”, she replied. “We would have been shaking in our boots, perhaps, if a Warbird were here unknown to us.”

“I don't know, Admiral, maybe 'pee our pants' would have been more accurate.”

Despite the tension, Shelby couldn't help laugh at the statement from Seven. In a very short time, Elizabeth Shelby had become very impressed with Seven. She knew how frightened the woman was, with the love of her life being held prisoner on a Romulan ship, but Seven had been as professional, as steady as any seasoned Starfleet officer. _Janeway and the others trained her well on this ship_ , she thought with admiration.

“Don't say that much louder, Seven, you might scare the younger ones”, she said in a quiet, conspiratorial tone.

After about forty minutes, Shelby thinking Sloan must like being fashionably late, the Warbird shimmered into their visual field. They were already at Red Alert, with shields up, so no one did more than blink at seeing the large ship.

“Let's see what he has to say”, Shelby said _sotto voce_ , only Seven hearing her.

An image appeared on screen. “Attention Federation ship, this is Captain Benjamin Maxwell, commanding the Warbird _Qeh_. Please send out the code identifying yourself, per the instructions given to Admiral Patterson.”

Shelby nodded at Seven, who sent out the code. Only then did Shelby allow her visage to be seen, and to answer the man.

“Captain Maxwell, this is Admiral Elizabeth Shelby of the Federation Starship _Voyager._ I can tell you, Captain, that as of a few days ago, you are no longer a Captain in Starfleet, so pardon me if I don't give you much in the way of the time of day.”

* * *

_I'll be damned,_ Sloan thought with some surprise and anger, _Maxwell, that son-of-a-bitch, was right._

“Admiral Shelby”, Ben Maxwell continued, “are you prepared to make the prisoner exchange, as instructed?”

Shelby gave a thin smile. “No, Mr. Maxwell, we are not. We are here, right now, to demand the immediate release of Admiral Kathryn Janeway, whom you are holding illegally.”

“So you didn't even bother to bring Seven of Nine”, Sloan interjected, showing himself on screen. “I'm disappointed in you Elizabeth.”

As if it were a game of chess, Seven made herself seen. “You can take your disappointment, and suppositions, Mr. Sloan, and shove them up your ass.”

Sloan's eyes went wide, but both Maxwell and Sela, who was in the room, both wanted to smirk at the verbal lashing Seven had just given the arrogant man.

“You know, drone, I could go down and order Janeway's execution, simply because of your outburst? I wouldn't even think twice about it.”

“Since that would mean the destruction of your vessel, Mr. Sloan”, Shelby shot back, “I'm quite sure your shipmates, whoever they are, wouldn't be happy with you for that. You want everyone to go home happy? Release Janeway. I'll give you four hours. Shelby out.”

 _Those two ladies have balls,_ Benjamin Maxwell said to himself with wry humor. And from the look on Sloan's face, he felt the same way.

“Those two bitches”, Sloan cursed. “How fuckin' dare they.”

“Chill a little, Sloan”, Maxwell said with a tired voice. “They obviously are buying time to mount a rescue.” He turned to Tactical. “Any indication of other Starfleet ships in the area?”

“No, sir”, the Romulan woman at that post responded. “The next closest vessel is just at the outermost area of long-range sensors, more than a day away at Warp 6.”

Maxwell nodded. “So, Sloan, this is your ballgame, what next?”

“We make them wait.” Then he had a better idea. “Actually, I understand, Commander Sela, that there are two former _Tal Shiar_ on the ship's roster?”

She nodded. “There are, but they have no idea...”

“If they were in the _Tal Shiar_ when I was”, he added coldly, “they'll know who I am. I think they and I need to visit Kathryn Janeway.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while since an update, but I was on a roll on my Battlestar Galactica story, and this one took a back seat for a while.

IX

**The Doctor, now disguised as a** Romulan Centurion, which meant he was basically a Crewman, wouldn't draw much suspicion. A _D'deridex_ _Class_ Warbird usually had a crew compliment of fifteen-hundred. Tuvok and Shelby had made an educated guess that there were not that many aboard this ship, but there certainly had to be at least half that many to effectively run the vessel.

The entire layout of the ship had been downloaded into his holographic matrix. It was based on the last known configuration of this type of vessel. According to the schematics, he was one deck below the Bridge, about three hundred meters from what was though to be the Romulan version of the Brig. While a ship the size of _Voyager_ didn't have a lot of Brig space, since it was designed for short missions, a Warbird would probably have dozens of cells for prisoners, and most likely on multiple decks. The Doctor would take his chances.

As he left the area he had beamed into, he walked down the hall toward the aft part of the ship, where the cells were on this deck. So far, the layout was as advertised. The holographic Centurion saw only a few others in the area, to his surprise, some were Human, as well as Romulan. The few he saw pretty much ignored each other, which was fine with him. The less interaction the better. Part of his programming for this mission was the downloading of the Romulan language, both written and verbal, so he was able to read the signs, and would be able to communicate in Romulan if needed.

The sign ahead of him indicated the prison cells were to the right. It was a vast layout, with fifty cells in this section, but there was no sign of Janeway anywhere. He knew he was on a tight schedule, and since he didn't need rest, he headed toward the next section, another five-hundred meters away. That, too, turned up no results.

Accessing his memory, he knew there was at least a half-dozen more areas like this throughout the ship, but he didn't have time to search all that. Then a thought occurred to him. _What if she's not in a cell? They said she was their “guest”. Could she be in VIP quarters?_

Again accessing the schematics of the ship, he was able to determine that VIP quarters, of which, according to the layout, there were at least a dozen, lay three-hundred meters aft of, and on the same deck, as the Bridge. He mapped out the quickest route, sought the nearest turbolift, and headed up to the main level of the Warbird.

* * *

Seven, Tuvok, and B'Elanna had finished the work on the program to trigger the cloak on the Romulan Warbird. They tried it quickly twice in the Holodeck, and it had worked, but there was no guarantee it would work in the real world. Tuvok and B'Elanna had then returned to _Phantom_. Tom was already onboard, getting the ship ready for action. The other two were able to tie the computer program to disable the cloak, into their own weapons array, to fire the moment that ship began to disappear. Since the _Qeh_ couldn't detect _Phantom_ , and _Phantom_ _could_ fire while cloaked, they had an advantage.

It was hoped that The Doctor would find Janeway, and have her ready to beam aboard either _Voyager_ or _Phantom_ when the shields on the _Qeh_ dropped. There was a party of fifty SpecOps forces that Shelby had brought with them in case the Romulan ship had to be stormed.

Now, it was simply a waiting game.

* * *

Kathryn Janeway had felt better. She admitted to herself she had felt a hell of a lot worse as well. The roughing up she had received had been more for show, but still hurt like hell, she thought wryly. She also knew if this became a stalemate, she might not live through it. But if it was a choice between her living and Seven, she'd choose Seven. She didn't like either choice, now that they were on their way to reconciling, but Seven had far more of a future than she did. She had made peace with that fact during her confinement.

At the moment, there was no one in her “VIP suite”. Under normal circumstances, such VIP accommodations would have been impressive, as they were very impressive quarters, indeed. Obviously, her treatment left something to be desired, but at least they had not deprived her of sleep or food, or clothing. It was still a prison, however.

Having seen Seven and Shelby on the viewscreen, she well knew _Voyager_ wasn't here just to make an exchange of prisoners. She had been mildly surprised that Shelby had been tasked to retrieve her, and _Voyager_ being here was lost on no one. That alone made Kathryn realized The Federation was playing for keeps.

Not being aware of Sloan's demands, she had no idea if other ships were nearby. Her instincts told her that Sloan had demanded only one ship be sent to wherever they currently were. Yet her instincts also told her all wasn't as it might seem. Whether that was a curse or a benefit, Kathryn Janeway wasn't sure at the moment.

* * *

“The four hours end in forty-nine minutes”, Seven said, checking her chronometer, which was in perfect sync with Shelby's, and those aboard _Phantom_.

Shelby nodded. “Nineteen minutes until showtime.”

“I really hope there isn't much of a 'show', Admiral.”

Seven had been serious when saying those words, nonetheless Shelby gave a small smile. “That makes two of us, Seven. Which reminds me.” Shelby hit her communicator. “Bridge, Strike team lead.”

“ _Strike lead, go ahead, Admiral?”_

“Mr. Marinovich, twenty minutes until insertion.”

“ _Aye, Admiral. We're locked and cocked, but hoping we don't have to be used. But we're ready.”_

“That's what I like to hear, Commander, Shelby out.” Shelby turned back to her First Officer. “Seven, when it's time to execute the cloak and for Phantom to fire, I want you in the Big Chair. You can sense time faster than any of us, and that might be needed.”

“Kathryn would have a coronary, seeing me in her old chair”, Seven said with some nervous, wry energy.

Shelby couldn't help but chuckle. “Janeway doesn't need a heart attack after what she's been through, We'll make sure you're out of there by the time she's on the Bridge.”

Seven nodded, but made no verbal response. She was becoming too nervous for that.

* * *

The Doctor had reached the VIP section of the ship. He had been ignored so far, and had run into very few others. As he entered the VIP area he noted two Romulan Centurions flanking one of the doors. He could deduce easily enough what that meant.

He wouldn't try to pull any elaborate scheme here. He would simply present himself to the guards for what he was-someone in the medical profession. Paris had once called it by the acronym KISS: Keep It Simple, Stupid. He hadn't liked the sound of it, but it was a good lesson to remember.

“Halt” one of the guards said in Romulan as he arrived. “Who are you and what is your business here?”

“Centurion Chatet, Medical Assistant. I'm here to give a quick check-up on the prisoner. There's a chance she may be exchanged shortly, and Captain Maxwell wants to make sure she has no underlying injuries.”

By their nature, Romulans were very suspicious and paranoid, but The Doctor simply looked at them impassively showing nothing on his face but a look that said, _Will you guys just make up your mind and let me do my job?_

After a few moments, and a few words between the two guards, they both nodded and let him in, The Doctor seriously hoping there wasn't more than one VIP prisoner on this itinerary.

The door closed behind him, and he gave out a holographic sigh of relieve, seeing Admiral Janeway reading a book, looking up at him with more than a little anger in her eyes. He understood that, approaching her as if he was going to give her a brief physical.

“Oh, you're a new one, I haven't seen you before? Come to rough me up?”

“No”, the hologram said. It wasn't his voice, but he hoped his message would help. “I can only tell you the crew of _Phantom_ sends you their regards, Admiral.”

That caught Janeway's attention. Her first thought was that _Phantom_ was out here, had been discovered, and the crew held on this ship? “What the hell have you done with that crew?”

The Doctor huffed. “Relax, Admiral”, he said calmly. “Haven't I always told you that you shouldn't stress yourself out over things you can't control? You were always my most difficult patient.”

Confusion sluiced over Janeway's features at first, then it dawned on her. “Doc...Doctor?”

“Right the first time”, he said, pulling out what was a Federation tricorder, but disguised as a similar Romulan device. “A few cuts and bruises, but nothing permanent, I see.”

“What's going on, Doctor?”

He knew he had to speak quickly. According to his internal chronometer, he had less than six minutes before the operation began. His timing had to be precise.

“In a few minutes”, he said in a whisper, “ _Voyager_ is going to engage the Romulan cloak, which will bring their shields down. _Phantom_ will then fire at the ship, disabling the engines, I hope, and making it so they can't disengage the cloak. At that moment, you and I are going to beam to one ship or the other.”

“These people are pretty paranoid, Doctor”, Janeway warned him. “I think you better start examining me, and being a little rough about it.” She held up her hand. “It's all for show, Doctor. Those idiots out there will be in shortly, you know that.”

“Very well.”

The Doctor did begin a routing evaluation of the Admiral. Heart rate, blood pressure, checking for signs of any deeper injuries. He took his time. Sure enough, about three minutes before all hell would break loose, the two guards entered the room.

“Admiral”, he said to Janeway, in broken English, as a Romulan would, “if you would cooperate with us, such things like this wouldn't happen to you. You're a typical human...oh”, he said, finally turning as if he had only just realized they had company, “and what do you two want?”

“We're checking in on the prisoner?”

“I'm checking the prisoner”, he said roughly in Romulan, “you're supposed to be guarding the door, so why don't you continue doing your job, so I can do mine?”

He looked at them expectantly. He was certain they both blushed slightly, and might have laughed if it was under other circumstances.

“Just don't take too long, Centurion Chatet.” They turned on their heels and closed the door loudly, to show their anger at being made fools of.

“OK, Admiral”, he said as quietly as possible. “Any time now.”

* * *

“One minute until Seven engages the program”, Tuvok said from the Tactical position on _Phantom_. Tom was at the helm, while B'Elanna was doubling on Engineering and Ops.

“So the computer will fire the phasers, correct?” Tom was simply making sure he had everything up to speed. 

“Correct, Mr. Paris. At that time, it is hoped that the Admiral and The Doctor will materialize onboard here or _Voyager_. If not, the SpecOps forces will storm the Bridge of the Warbird.”

“I prefer the former”, B'Elanna said, wanting simply to get things going.

“As do I”, Tuvok nodded, looking back at her. “Thirty seconds, stand by.”

* * *

Seven had taken the Conn at five minutes before go-time. She was familiar with the technology that was on _Voyager_ now-much of it had come from the work she had done on the ship two decades ago. The computer was online, ready to send out a burst transmission to engage the cloak, then fire the phasers from _Phantom_ , with Kathryn and The Doctor beaming to one of the ships. Seven keyed for an all-hands broadcast.

“Attention all hand”, she said calmly, “this is Commander Hansen, forty-five seconds. Strike team, prepare to transport on my mark.”

There would be no response from anyone on the ship. Had there been a problem, the Transporter Room would advise her. No such advisory was forthcoming.

“On my mark, thirty seconds...mark.”


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The stress of the elections here in the U.S, the fact that I've been a bit under the weather, and those two things caused me to lose my momentum in writing this story. Hopefully back on track.

X

“ **We are cloaking** ”, the Human Tactical Officer currently on duty aboard the _Qeh_ said with dread.

Ben Maxwell turned to the woman. “What?”

“Our shields are down!”

Maxwell alerted Sela and Sloan. Before they could arrive, the ship shook.

“Did _Voyager_ just fire on us, Tactical?”

The woman turned to Sloan. “Negative! The shot came from an unknown vessel, but I see nothing on scanners. Warp Drive and weapons are down!”

“Cloaked”, Maxwell muttered, as Sela and Sloan entered The Bridge. “Find that other ship!”

* * *

Janeway and The Doctor felt the ship shake as well. The Doctor used the tricorder, which wasn't used for medical purposes, to begin the process to beam them to Voyager, which he had always felt would be the safer option.

Nothing happened.

“Oh, no”, The Doctor said, mild alarm in his voice.

“What's going on, Doctor?”

“I don't know, Admiral”, the hologram said honestly. “We should have been on _Voyager_ by now.”

Just as he finished, the door opened violently, the two Centurions with their weapons at the ready. “Centurion Chatet, step away from the prisoner. We are under attack!”

“I am not done with the patient yet. I'm a Medic, not a soldier!”

It was standard for all Centurions, while onboard, to carry a Disruptor with them. The Doctor's was holstered to his right, with Janeway standing behind him. With no clear line-of-site to the Human female, the two Centurions never did see her pull the weapon from the holster, and they were too dead moments later to comment about it anyway.

“Come on, Doctor”, Janeway said, grabbing one of the dead Romulans, The Doctor grabbing the other. “All hell is breaking loose, and we're in the middle of it.” They stowed the two dead Centurions in a bedroom closet.

“Any ideas, Centurion Chatet”, Janeway said with a serious mocking tone?

“I think I know where we can access a computer to get us beamed out of here”, he said calmly, leading Janeway into the hallway. There were others scurrying about, but seeing an armed Centurion with the prisoner, no one paid them much attention.

* * *

Shelby looked over at Ops. “Did we get Janeway and The Doctor?”

Ops shook their head. “Negative, Admiral. I'll send a message to _Phantom_ and see if they arrived there.”

“Make it quick.” She hit her communicator. “Storming party, stand by for possible deployment.” The was no response, nor did she expect one.

“Admiral”, Ops was back to her quickly, “ _Phantom_ says they don't have them either.”

“Commander Marinovich”, Shelby said tensely, “prepare to beam you teams over on my mark.”

“Aye, Admiral!”

* * *

Tuvok didn't look up, concentrating on his readings. “ _Voyager_ did not receive the Admiral and Doctor. They are still onboard the Romulan Warbird.”

“Shit”, Tom Paris said, just loud enough for the others to hear him. He kept _Phantom_ moving slowly, in an erratic pattern near the Warbird, hoping they couldn't see the cloaked ship.

“ _Voyager_ is preparing to insert the Marine forces. I am preparing another photon torpedo to completely disable their Impulse drive as well.” A few moments later, Tuvok concluded his statement. “Their Impulse drive is down as well. They're dead in space.”

* * *

“Admiral”, Seven noted from her station. “The Warbird's Impulse drive is down. They're not going anywhere.”

With that news, the fifty Marine SpecOps forces were beamed to different parts of the Romulan ship to try and retrieve Kathryn Janeway and The Doctor.

“Teams are onboard”, Tactical advise Shelby and Seven, the two women sharing a look.

* * *

“Impulse is gone”, the Warbird Tactical officer said loudly. “We have intruder alerts on multiple areas of the ship.”

“Goddamn them”, Sloan said, as he realized he had been played by Shelby. “Get Janeway up here, immediately.”

“What are you gonna do with her, Sloan.”

Sloan looked coldly over at Maxwell. “What do you think?”

When Sela tried to raise the guards assigned to Janeway, she got no answer. Without a word, she looked at another Centurion on The Bridge, and they raced away before Sloan could say anything to both of them.

* * *

The Federation Marines hadn't beamed onto The Bridge. They came onboard in four different groups, three into the area where prisoners were held, and one to disable the Engineering staff and hold that vital part of the ship.

Meanwhile, The Doctor and Janeway had headed forward on the ship, to the closest turbolift to head down to the lower levels. The Doctor had been told that most of the Marines would be in the area of the prison cells, and that's where they were headed.

The doors to the lift opened, and just as they were beginning to close, Commander Sela and the Centurion jutted around a corner. The Centurion fired a quick shot.

The doors to the turbolift closed, Sela cursing as they did.

* * *

Kathryn Janeway lay sprawled on the floor of the turbolift, a massive Disruptor wound to the right side of her chest and shoulder.

“Admiral!” The Doctor bent down toward Janeway. She had a pulse, but he could tell it was thready, and she was bleeding, and suffering from grievous phaser burns. He needed to find the Marines, and quickly.

He picked up the wounded, retired Admiral, and headed directly toward the holding cells. He could hear the sound of weapons discharge getting louder as he approached.

* * *

“ _Voyager_ , Marinovich”, the Commander called, as his forces fought off the Romulans, “Alpha squad informs Engineering secured, but we're under heavy fire, no sign of the Admiral.”

His men and women were dug in, so far not taking any casualties, the element of surprise had worked well for them. Had this been a ship with a full compliment, they'd have been in serious trouble-the trouble was bad enough without a full compliment, but they were holding their own.

Another minute, perhaps a little less went by, the Marines taking two quick casualties. Commander Marinovich saw movement to his left. He prepared to fire his weapon, but realized that the Romulan approaching him had an unconscious Kathryn Janeway slung over his shoulder.

“Doctor?” The Commander held his gun steady, just in case.

“Yes, and not a moment too soon, Commander”, the former EMH stated urgently. “We need to get the Admiral back to Voyager STAT. She's severely wounded.”

“What happened to your beam-out?”

The Doctor shook his head. “I have no idea, but we're beyond that now. Can we get her back?”

“Stand by, Doc”, the man said, hitting his communicator. “ _Voyager_ , Marinovich, we have the Admiral. She and two Marines are critically wounded. Requesting immediate beam-back to the ship!”

* * *

Seven's eyes went wide hearing that Kathryn had been injured. She locked eyes briefly with Shelby, who gave a terse nod. Seven left The Bridge for Sickbay.

“Transporter Room”, she commanded with the same urgency, “beam all our people back.” She turned to the Helm. “Helm, when we have them all, get our asses out of here, course your discretion, Warp 8. Ops, inform _Phantom_ that we're leaving momentarily.”

The word was sent to Phantom. Within a minute, the Transporter Room called back. “Admiral, all members accounted for onboard. The Admiral and the two Marines were beamed to Sickbay!”

“Very well”, Shelby said with some small relief, knowing this might not be over yet, “prepare to take out the Warbird, then we'll depart.”

* * *

“Sloan, Maxwell”, Sela said over her communicator. “The prisoner escaped.”

“Commander”, Sela heard Maxwell's voice respond, “whoever was onboard, they've beaming back as we speak, and we're dead in the water.”

“You and Sloan beam to Shuttle Bay Three”, she advised in a clipped voice. “They're going to fire on this ship in a matter of moments.”

The two Human men didn't need to think twice about it, and moments later, they, Sela, the Centurion who had escorted Sela, and two others, were onboard a Romulan Scout shuttle. Sela lifted off from the Qeh the moment the last of _Voyager's_ Marines re-materialized on that ship.

* * *

Tuvok received the message onboard Phantom. “Mr. Paris, prepare to go to Warp 8, course at your discretion. _Voyager_ is preparing to destroy the Warbird.”

“Fire a couple of shots for us, Tuvok”, B'Elanna said with her own dawning relief.

“I was planning to do so”, the Vulcan said, B'Elanna swearing she heard some protest in the man's voice. “Firing now.”

* * *

The Warbird _Qeh_ was between the Romulan shuttle and _Voyager_ -and whatever else might be out there, the six inhabitants mused, certain there was a cloaked ship in the vicinity. The scout ship could cloak as well, and did so, heading, at least for the moment, away from Admiral Shelby's ship.

Within ten seconds of departing from _Qeh_ , the smaller ship witnessed the destruction of the old Warbird, as it exploded from multiple torpedo's fired from _Voyager_ and _Phantom_. Sloan and Sela took the destruction of the Romulan vessel better than Maxwell did-Maxwell had at least somewhat of a conscience, and didn't like sacrificing all those people so they could get away. Sela and Sloan looked at their underlings as nothing more than cannon fodder, so didn't really care about the collateral damage.

Sela herself was at the helm of the scout ship when _Qeh_ disintegrated. “I'm going to keep us right here”, she informed the others, taking the ship to minimum power and idling the engines. If _Voyager_ and _Phantom_ were looking, they wouldn't see much of anything. “They'll depart the area now, and we'll let them.”

Even though she wouldn't shed a tear over the loss of the crew on the _Qeh_ , Sela, like Sloan, hated to lose, and took any opportunity at vengeance that they could get. Sloan, seated behind and to the left of Sela spoke. “After they're clear, we're heading toward Earth”, he pronounced. “I'm not gonna give up on killing Seven-and I think a few other should join her in whatever there is in the afterlife.”

“I highly doubt I and the three Centurions will be welcome with open arms on Earth, Sloan”, Sela noted calmly. Not that she would turn down the fight. “It would be pleasant to settle a few scores, however.”

Maxwell didn't say a word about what was being discussed. “If none of you mind, I'm going to close my eyes for a few hours. You two can come up with a brilliant plan while I'm sleeping, if you don't mind.”

The man got up and went to one of the three, small sleeping quarters onboard, leaving Sloan and Sela to exchange quiet glances at each other.


	11. Chapter 11

XI

**Seven of Nine hurried to** Sickbay to see just how badly Kathryn Janeway had been wounded. When she arrived, The EMH and _Voyager's_ Human doctor were working on the former Admiral.

“Report”, Seven said as calmly as she could.

The EMH handled that one. “She has Level 4 phaser burns on her upper right chest, her right shoulder and back, Seven”, the holographic man said, not looking up from his work. “Currently we're trying to stabilize her vitals.”

Seven knew better than to pester The Doctor for any more information. She quietly nodded, and sat on a nearby biobed.

The human doctor, Dr. Larissa Quantro, was in titular charge of Sickbay, but when it came to Janeway, she deferred to the EMH, who had pulled Janeway's butt out of more than a few critical situations over the years. She glanced over at Seven.

“We think she'll make it, Commander Hansen”, the female doctor said, using Seven's name for the mission. “It's gonna take some work, but just give us some time.”

“I understand”, Seven said, sounding more like her old Borg-like self than the Seven who had become so informal and jaded over the years. “I will report this to the Admiral, and let...”

The holographic doctor stopped her. “Seven, I don't mind if you stay nearby for a while. I don't think Admiral Shelby will mind either”, he said kindly. Long ago, the EMH had a thing for Seven-as Tom Paris had pointed to the Doc that he couldn't imagine anyone not having a thing for the tall, incredibly beautiful woman-but that had faded. He had been locked away for years at Starfleet Medical, and hadn't heard of all the trials and tribulations that Seven and Kathryn had been through. Having caught up on it, it saddened him to think of the two women whom he admired as much as any in the Universe, along with B'Elanna, had gone through so much pain over the years.

Now that Seven and Kathryn were well on their way to a rapprochement, he knew it was important for Seven to want to be close to her former mentor.

“Thanks, Doc”, Seven said softly, touched by his concern. “I'll stay out of your way, I promise. I'd just...I'd like to stay here for a while, and be near Kathryn.”

The Doctor smiled. “I understand, Seven. We'll try to keep you updated as we go along.”

Seven moved over to an empty biobed, asked the computer for a thick pillow, and closed her eyes for a while.

* * *

Sloan may have been stuck with a Captain from Starfleet, and a Romulan Commander, along with a few other Human and Romulan crew members, but he was damned if he was not going to be in charge of going after _Voyager_ and whoever else had attacked their ship. Rank be damned.

“I never agreed to head to Earth, Sloan”, Commander Sela said with more than a little anger. “This is a Romulan ship, and I'm...”

Sloan was having none of it. “I was trained by the Tal Shiar, Commander”, he said sharply, “which put me above _any_ everyday Romulan Commander.”

“For Christ's sake, Sloan”, Benjamin Maxwell snorted with disgust, “there _is_ no Tal Shiar any longer; there _is_ no Romulan military. What part of that don't you get? You're getting a little big for your britches, aren't you.”

Sloan bored on on Captain Maxwell. “You want to end up like those poor bastards on what's left of _Qeh_ , Maxwell? Blown to bits. I can arrange that.”

“Gentleman”, Sela shouted, sick to death of these arguing Humans, “enough of this crap already!” She had a mind simply to shoot them both. Had there only been Romulan Centurions onboard, she would have, but she knew the Humans that were with them would gun her down instantly if she did that. “What exactly is your plan, Sloan?”

“They think we're dead, don't they?” He was quite sure of that. “If that's the case, I still have my sources inside The Federation. I can find out where _Voyager_ is going-and I'd bet they're going to McKinley Station to begin with, and track down Seven, Shelby, and Janeway there.”

“And you expect me and a bunch of Romulans”, Maxwell said with dripping sarcasm, “are just gonna walk into McKinley, guns blazing, and take out a Starfleet Admiral, a former Starfleet Admiral, and a former Borg drone...no problem, right?”

“Everything I have worked for, Maxwell, has been destroyed by that former drone, and her would-be lover, Janeway. Everything! I want the satisfaction of watching her die, even if it means I die with them. I'm not planning to die”, he said with an icy smile. “I've gotten out of bigger fixes, but I want to see her dead.”

“And what of us?” Sela looked at him hard, not giving up anything. “We're just collateral damage to you, isn't that right, Sloan? I didn't bargain to end up being captured by Humans and jailed, as my mother was jailed on Romulus. I'm sure Picard and Riker would love to get a crack at me.”

“You just get me there, my dear Commander”, Sloan replied with a false sweetness, “and then you and the Captain can do what you like. I'm going to find Seven of Nine, kill her, and, if I can, kill Janeway as well.”

“You realize we have to de-cloak to get you on that station? Have you thought of that, wise-guy?”

Sloan laughed at Maxwell. “You can de-cloak for an instant, re-cloak, and be gone. No one will probably be able to follow you.”

Sela and Maxwell exchanged glances. Neither liked it, but they also knew the Human guards onboard were loyal to the Romulan-born Human, and they could do little about it.

“Very well”, Sela advised the two men. “When the time comes, I will be in charge of the cloaking issues. We'll get you on that station, Sloan, but we're not waiting around for you.”

“Fair enough, Sela”, the man said, turning and suddenly retreating to his quarters on the smaller ship.

When he was out of earshot, Maxwell turned to the Romulan. “The man is gonna get us all killed, Commander, you realize that.”

“Perhaps”, Sela said quietly. “We've all been survivors. Remember that, Maxwell.”

* * *

Two Days Later

_Voyager_ was approaching McKinley Station, to undergo some minor repairs after the trip that netted them the injured Kathryn Janeway. Once they arrived, Shelby, Seven, The Doctor, and Janeway would beam to Earth. Kathryn would convalesce at Starfleet Medical, while the other three, along with Tuvok, Tom, and B'Elanna, reported to Admirals Peterson, Jellico, and Paris for a debrief and to put in their reports.

Kathryn was still not conscious. That had been the decision of the two doctors. The ability to repair injuries that, a mere one-hundred-and-fifty years earlier would have meant sure death, was indeed astounding, but the human body still needed time to recover. Janeway had been given a heavy sedative to keep her under, most likely for at least another twenty-four hours before she was brought out of her sleep. By then, her body should be well on the way to being completely healed.

After they arrived, they were given a private room to have a meal, and discuss their mission. The next afternoon, they would take a quick shuttle to San Francisco for that meeting. Janeway was immediately taken by shuttle to San Francisco.

After their catered meal was served, Shelby and the five former _Voyager_ crew members able to relax and unwind.

“I still haven't a clue what happened onboard the Romulan ship”, The Doctor advised the others. “Kathryn and I would have been on _Voyager_ before those two knuckle-draggers had entered her room.”

“It's called Murphy's Law, Doc”, Tom Paris responded with some sympathy. “Any than can go wrong will, and at the worst possible moment.”

Shelby nodded. “As far as operations go, despite that glitch, it went off pretty well, however. With that lunatic Sloan out of the way, I believe things will calm down rather quickly.”

“Taking Captain Maxwell out of the equation will have benefits as well”, Tuvok observed. “He was a talented Captain, but he was, as Mr. Paris would remark, a 'loose cannon', who let his emotions get the better of him.”

“Why did he sign up with that screwball”, B'Elanna wondered out loud. “It really doesn't make sense?”

“Birds of a feather flock together”, Seven said with some lingering unease with Kathryn being on Earth now, while they were still at McKinley. “Troublemakers seem to gravitate to one another.

Tom leaned over to B'Elanna “Me and Harry”, he said _sotto voce_ , B'Elanna smacking him playfully on the arm.

Shelby was aware of where Seven truly wanted to be. “I promise you, Seven, that the moment Patterson releases us, we're all going to check up on Kathryn.”

“Thank you, Admiral”, the tall blond said with a nod. “I just want all this to be over. Kathryn has been injured, and quite badly, twice now, because of my actions. There was almost a war on Fenris because of what I did. All this will be hard for me to put in the past.”

Torres was sitting to Seven's left, and she took her friend's hand. “It isn't your fault, Blondie”, B'Elanna said gently, meaning it. “What those people did to you over the years-to Icheb, and Chakotay, you were simply trying to right wrong. Maybe you didn't go about it in the correct way”, B'Elanna gave her a small smirk, “but your heart was in the right place. Just remember, you've got a huge family out there still, Seven, that'll move Heaven and Earth to help you, should you get into trouble.”

“I know, B'Elanna”, Seven said just above a whisper, barely holding the tears back. She suspected that when she and Kathryn were settled-wherever they settled-she would shed a lot of tears to help her get over all the heartache-not just of the events of the past few months, but over the last twenty years. “I do feel with Bjayzl and Sloan gone, I've avenged for what happened to Icheb. It won't bring him back, but he can rest easy now.”

Torres leaned in and gave her friend a hug, again marveling at how close they had become over the years, and had gone from not being able to stand being in the same room with each other, to being willing to lay down their life for the other.

“OK, everyone”, Shelby said after they had talked and ate for an hour, “it's time for everyone to turn in. We've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow. I expect the debrief to take at least a few hours. Everyone get a good night's sleep.”

They all went to the accommodations that McKinley had set up for each of them, with the exception of The Doctor, to rest. Seven knew that, with everything on her mind, sleep would be hard to come by if she simply tried to drift off. She convinced The Doctor to give her a mild sedative, which did the trick. Seven needed the rest, and thank to her friend, she got it.

* * *

The cloaked Romulan scout ship was now in the Terran Sector, slowly approaching Earth and McKinley Station. Tempers between the three principles on the ship had calmed, after Sloan, Sela, and Maxwell had a talk over dinner one night. They certainly weren't friends, and didn't truly trust one another, but they all had their reasons to be there: Sloan because he still wanted to control The Federation; Sela, using this mission as a means to try and revive the old Romulan Empire; Maxwell simply to get back at the organization who had taken his career away from him, even though he had been right about the Cardassians all those years ago.

They agreed that no strike would be made on McKinley Station. Sela convinced the other two that after a mission like the one _Voyager_ had carried out, it was more than likely that they would debrief, and do so quickly, at Starfleet Headquarters.

“There's no way you can just show up on Earth, Commander”, Maxwell advised Sela. “Sloan and I? We can probably have a little time before we're noticed, but you'd stick out like a sore thumb, no disrespect intended.”

“None taken, Captain”, the Romulan said dismissively, knowing the man was right. “I'll be flying this ship, while you two do...whatever you plan to do, which the less I know the better.”

“And what do you get out of this- _if_ we succeed, Commander?”

“If you somehow can bend The Federation to your will?” She looked hard at Sloan. “I don't think you will succeed, but if you do, then I will demand your support for the rebuilding of the Romulan Empire, with me as it's ruler, and to have The Federation run interference against The Klingons while we rebuild.”

“Once we're on the ground, Commander”, Sloan said in a measured voice, “you are free to return to Romulan Free State space. You can do no more for us here. I will agree to what you ask-if we succeed. Don't count me out yet, Sela”, he cautioned the Romulan/Human hybrid. “I've made a history of surviving. I may yet again.”

“I'm not counting on it, Sloan”, Sela said icily. “The sooner I get away from Earth, the better. We're going to camp out near McKinley Station, listen in on the transmissions coming from there, and then we'll make our final plans.”


	12. Chapter 12

XII

**When Kathryn Janeway finally** opened her eyes, four days after being shot on the now-dead Romulan Warbird _Qeh_ , she saw a familiar sight that had greeted her far too often over the years-The Doctor, her former Voyager EMH, smiling over her. Smirking was more like it, as he had once again pulled her proverbial chestnuts out of the fire.

“Welcome back, Admiral”, he said kindly enough, although Kathryn could swear there was that tiny smirk that made her want to roll her eyes. “Back among the living once again, thanks to my great skill.”

“I think Dr. Quantro had a little to do with it”, she said with a raspy voice, “and you helped get me into this mess.”

That brought him up a little short, with Kathryn giving a small, weak smile in triumph. “Well, yes, although we were never to determine why we didn't get beamed over. And Dr. Quantro deserves a lot of the credit, you are correct."

Kathryn weakly looked around. “Where are we? We're not on _Voyager_.”

“Starfleet Medical”, he said, keeping his voice low. “We beamed you down here about thirty-six hours ago. I kept you under sedation a little longer than planned, simply to let your body heal some more. You had a lot of damage done to your right shoulder and chest.”

“Been there, done that”, she said, with a small cough. The Doctor looked over at someone, and in a moment, a bottle with a straw was in front of her, the Hologram giving her a much-needed drink of water. “Thank you, Doctor. Where are the others?”

“They're at McKinley Station, and should be shuttling down to Headquarters shortly to meet with the brass for debrief. They all want to visit you when they're finished.”

“The Romulans?”

“It was destroyed after we disabled it”, he said with some sadness. Even when it involved an enemy, The Doctor believed in his code of “do no harm”, but did understand that at times, such things were necessary. “As far as we can tell, there were no survivors.”

“I won't shed a tear”, Kathryn said tersely. “Lord knows they could have treated me worse, but it was bad enough. And to see Commander Sela...”

That stopped The Doctor cold. “ _The_ Commander Sela? The one Picard spoke about?”

“The very one, Doctor.” Kathryn indicated she needed another drink. After she was done, she looked like she would fall back to sleep.

“Well, I'll have to add that to my own notes, Admiral. But for now, you're going back to sleep. I don't want to give you any more sedatives for the time being. From the look on your face”, he smiled down at her, “I think you're going to drift off on your own.”

“Anything to keep you from giving me a hypospray, old friend”, she said with her own smirk. And The Doctor was correct-within five minutes, Kathryn Janeway was sound asleep again.

* * *

Benjamin Maxwell was having second thoughts. He knew he had joined Sloan to get back at The Federation for upending his career. He had felt vindicated in his beliefs about the Cardassians when the Dominion War broke out, and he had held a grudge against San Francisco ever since. He was even willing to put in with a known enemy of The Federation, in Commander Sela, to tweak the nose of The Federation. He was even willing to go so far as to hunt down and kill this former Borg drone, Seven of Nine.

But going in, guns blazing, into Federation Headquarters and Starfleet Command? He wasn't into suicide. He also knew that Sloan would take as many down with him as he could not caring what the damage was.

One thing he did not know, or understand, was Sloan's history, and why he had thrown in with Sela, or how he had co-opted the Romulan into this crazy scheme. Maxwell felt that, now, this was need-to-know information, and he asked Sela to meet him in his quarters.

When she arrived, she was impatient as usual. “What's so important that you need to talk to me, Maxwell?”

“Have a drink, Commander?” Before Sela could give a sarcastic comment, he cut her off. “No, this is not a social call, Commander, but it is polite to ask a guest if they would like a drink.”

“Very well”, she said more calmly, “I'll take a whiskey neat.”

Maxwell replicated one for her, and handed it to her.

“As I said, Commander, this isn't a social invitation. With things as they are, I believe I need some information, and I believe you have that information.”

“You don't give orders to me, Captain.” She emphasized the last word.

“I'm not giving you orders, Commander, but you are going to tell me what I want to know.”

She was surprised at the force behind his words, which gave her pause. She'd play along. “What do you want to know?”

“Two things, at least to start”, Maxwell informed her, leaning forward in his chair. “One, what do you know about Sloan's background, and two, how the hell did he rope you into this little adventure?”

Sela thought carefully before answering. She could deny his request, but at this juncture, she would be extracting herself from this entire predicament, and she was quite sure she would never see these two humans again.

She went into all the details she knew about Sloan: the story of the _Enterprise-C_ ; his birth on Romulus, born around the same time she was; his training in the _Tal Shiar;_ the original mission to have him as a Romulan plant on Earth; the fact that Sloan out-ranked her, merely by his association with the _Tal Shiar_ , and that she was duty-bound to help him.

To say that Benjamin Maxwell was floored when she finished would be a monumental understatement. He had finished his drink, and had staggered to his feet when getting another one. Once her replicated it, he pounded it down in one gulp.

“Jesus Christ”, he breathed, sitting back down. “He's a megalomaniac! He's in it for the personal power, isn't he.”

Sela nodded. “In the end, that's it. Even though the Romulan Empire is no more, believe me when I tell you there is a pecking order and a chain-of-command that still exists. Sloan, because of his...unique nature...is very influential and powerful within Romulan circles.”

A light went on in Maxwell's mind. “His original mission was to usurp The Federation from the inside, making it a Romulan puppet.” That was a statement, not a question.

“Precisely, Captain Maxwell”, Sela smiled blithely at him, giving him credit for figuring it out. “But he's failed in all that, mostly, I might add, because of events beyond his control. But the minute I drop you two off on Earth, I'm washing my hands of this whole affair.”

“I don't blame you, Commander”, Maxwell said, his mind now going a billion miles an hour, knowing if he didn't change things for himself, he'd end up dead.

* * *

Malaga, Spain

“Will, can you get ready any slower?” Deanna Troi was tapping her foot like an impatient school girl. “The Maldonado's asked us to meet them at the restaurant in fifteen minutes.”

Troi head a little rustling, then suddenly her husband, Retired Admiral Will Riker opened the door, with a wry grin on his face. “Sorry about that, Imzadi, but believe it or not, I couldn't figure out what to wear.”

Troi laughed. “Isn't that my line, Mr. Riker?” She playfully slapped him on the arm. “If we leave now, we can be there on time.”

“They we'll leave now, my dear”, he said with his signature grin.

Earth still had wheeled, ground vehicles for short distances, and the Riker's hopped into theirs for the short ten minute jaunt to the restaurant in question. As they were driving along-as the vehicle was driving them, that is-there was an alert for an incoming call.

It was Admiral Patterson.

“Admiral”, Will said pleasantly, “what can I do for you this evening?”

“Catch you two in the middle of something?” His visage was visible to both Troi and Will, Mike Patterson able to see both of them. “Hello Deanna.”

“Hello Mike”, she said with a broad smile. “How are you, my friend?”

“Not too bad for an old man, thank you.” Deanna laughed at the remark. “Will, I'm gonna need you to head to San Francisco as soon as possible. I've got some...interesting news...involving _Voyager's_ encounter with Sloan and Maxwell.” He saw that Will and Deanna were dressed nicely, and quickly amended his statement. “Heading out on the town?”

Will shook his head. “We're having dinner with friends of ours in a few minutes.”

Patterson nodded. “Well, you go through with those dinner plans. This isn't something that needs attending to right this minute, but it is damn important.”

“Tell you what, Mike”, Will informed the C-in-C of Starfleet, “I will contact you when Deanna and I get home, and then I'll beam to San Francisco. Fair enough?”

“That would be fine, Will”, the man agreed. “I'm also having Jellico, Paris, and Picard coming in as well.”

Will's eyebrows arched. “The heavy-hitters meet again.”

Patterson chuckled. “So to speak, my friend. Very well, enjoy your dinner, and please, get back to me when you're done.”

“Will do, Admiral.”

“Thanks Will, Patterson out.”

Deanna glanced over at her husband. “He looked calm and collected, but I can tell something pretty big is going on.”

“I'm not even empathic, and I got that feeling as well”, Will said with a frown. “But it can wait until dinner is over. Let's go have a wonderful evening with our friends.”

* * *

Four Hours Later, San Francisco

The three active Admirals, and the two retired Admirals were ensconced in Admiral Mike Patterson's office. He hadn't rushed his confidants in for this news, as he didn't think it warranted it, but he wanted to update them on the ongoing crisis.

“Thanks for getting here, everyone. This won't take long, but I wanted to tell you about what has happened, face-to-face. I think you're all aware we have Admiral Janeway back, but I think you'll find some of what we know...interesting.

Patterson recounted, via the different reports from Shelby, Seven, Janeway, and the others about the Romulan Warbird, and who was on the ship. He went over the operation that retrieved Janeway, and the destruction of the _Qeh_.

Everyone looked to Jean-Luc Picard to speak first. Before he spoke, he took a large breath, obvious surprised by the news.

“What are the odds that Commander Sela ends up with Sloan and Maxwell for this operation?” He looked at them with a wry grin. “It's...it's beyond belief almost. But then again, Sela's very existence is still beyond belief to me.”

“Welcome to the 24th Century, Jean-Luc”, Patterson said sardonically, “where anything is possible. To know Sloan had contacts and some pull within what's left of the Romulan state is disturbing, and certainly corroborates what he told you, Jean-Luc, and what he told Seven.”

“How is Janeway?”

Patterson turned to Riker. “She's gonna be OK, Will. Fortunately the Centurions that entered her 'guest quarters', as she put it, didn't give a clean shot at her, else she'd have been killed. The others have been going through debrief. It looks like the worst of it is over.”

“Mike has tasked me to start investigations on how that barbaric facility at Ganymede got approved, and how Federation personnel were able to staff it”, Ed Jellico informed the others. “There's still some unknowns there, and I think once we delve deeper into it, we're going to find some more unsavory characters-maybe not as bad as Sloan, but bad enough.”

“One thing I'm planning to do in the near future”, Admiral Patterson added, is to go to Fenris and smooth things over with Prime Minister Sladek. Necheyav put him in an impossible situation. If it hadn't been for the work Ambassador Kurn put in, that might have been a major tragedy.”

“I might just go to Q'onoS and visit the Chancellor and Ambassador”, Picard said with a grin. “No doubt they've made good allies this year.”

“I think a commendation for Kurn might be in order”, Patterson observed. “He really did prevent a major war.”

The five men went over some minor business, but Patterson didn't want to keep them very long. He had felt duty-bound to update them all personally, since all of them had done so much to keep the situation, which had turned out bad enough, from becoming something a hundred times worse.

He didn't know it, but they'd all be back soon enough.


	13. Chapter 13

XIII

**Benjamin Maxwell sat in the Ready Room** , just off the Bridge of the Romulan shuttle. The ship really wasn't a “shuttle” in the same manor that the _Delta Flyer,_ or even _Phantom_ was. It was about half the size of _Voyager_ , which could carry a crew compliment of approximately sixty. This particular ship only had nine individuals on it, which was enough to run it when needed.

Maxwell was in a pickle, and he knew it. He had allowed his hatred for Starfleet and The Federation to drive him into making a deal with Sloan, a man who he had met years ago, after he was released from prison for his crimes against the Cardassians. Sloan had promised him the keys to Starfleet Command, to run The Fleet under Sloan's direction, if he was successful in his long-term plans to usurp The Federation. Even then, Maxwell thought only of revenge, against people like Jean-Luc Picard, and Will Riker, for putting him behind bars. Yet he felt he had the wherewithal to command Starfleet.

Before he went on his rampage against the Cardassians, Ben Maxwell had been a highly decorated officer, and was still on the rise. He was a tactical genius-he had _Phoenix_ running _Enterprise_ in circles for a time on his killing spree-and he was considered a keen strategist. Yet all that was gone now.

He had let so much animosity get in his way, he knew that now. He had even grudgingly accepted the assist from Commander Sela, and the now-dead Romulan War Bird. There was no way Sloan's latest “plan” had any chance of success, and he knew it. Even Sela was ready to cut and run.

Sloan was thinking quickly at the moment. He knew he needed to end his involvement in this fool's errand, even though he knew he'd end up back in prison. It beat being vaporized in Starfleet Headquarters.

The ship was still cloaked. That meant that the shields were down. A cloaked ship of this design couldn't extend shields or fire, unlike the more advanced Phantom that Tom Paris and B'Elanna Torres had helped design, but without the shield...

The ship was stationed twenty-seven thousand kilometers above Earth, in a very high geosynchronous orbit. _Well within range,_ he thought. Now his next quandary: where? That wasn't an easy question to answer, but Maxwell put his mind to it. Somewhere not too obvious, he thought with a wry inner smile. After thinking on it for another few minutes, he came to a conclusion about that.

The next question: how? The mechanism to do this was simple enough, but he needed to do this without anyone else knowing. He pondered on that for a few more minutes. Since he currently had the watch, along with two other crew members, the others being asleep, that decision presented himself soon enough to his sharp mind.

The _Qeh_ , as well as this shuttle, had upgraded language banks that allowed Sloan and Maxwell to talk to the computer in English, which was a godsend right now for Maxwell. He rose from his chair, advised the woman at the helm he was going briefly to his quarters, but would be back in a few minutes. The woman nodded without responding.

He was in his quarters long enough to pack a few clothes in a small bag, along with a few personal items, left the bag in his quarters, then headed back to the Ready Room.

Once there, he acted. “Computer.” The system blurped in recognition, how many members of the crew are currently awake.”

This computer had a male Human voice, which was disconcerting after hearing the melodic voice of a female his whole career. “ _T_ _hree members of the crew are currently awake. The others are in sleep mode_.”

“OK”, Maxwell said aloud to himself. “Computer, release compound Polyanure Ether into the ship, excluding the Ready Room, three parts per million.”

“Affirmative _, Polyanure Ether, three parts per million has been released into the ship, with the exception of this location_.”

“Computer, how long will the occupants remain unconscious due to the Ether?”

“ _Polyanure Ether, at three parts per million, will render individuals unconscious for approximately forty-five minutes._ ”

“Computer, are all other occupants of the ship currently unconscious?”

“ _Affirmative. All other occupants are unconscious_.”

“Very good”, Maxwell nodded. “Computer return environmental levels to normal, removing any remaining Ether from the atmosphere.”

“ _Affirmative. Environmental levels returning to normal_.”

Maxwell waited an extra five minutes, just to make sure the air had been recirculated a few times before stepping out. He saw the two crewmen slumped over their consoles, the one that was in the First Officer's chair, and the one at the helm.

He went to his quarters, grabbed the small bag, and headed to the transporter. When he arrived, he gave the computer more instructions. “Computer, erase the previous conversation from the log, authorization Maxwell Beta-Charlie-7-9-Delta.”

“ _Affirmative, all recent conversations erased_.”

He stepped up to the transporter controls, and punched in some coordinates, then headed over to the pad. “Computer, beam me to the coordinates that I have entered into the computer, then set a course to the coordinates I have sent to the helm, and then erase any evidence of the transport, or the helm instructions, authorization Maxwell Beta-Alpha-4-9-2. Execute.”

With that, Benjamin Maxwell disappeared off the ship.

* * *

Chateau Picard, France

Jean-Luc Picard was slowly going through the rows of grapes that adorned the Picard Vineyard. It had been in his family for well over two hundred years. His late brother Robert, had run it after their father had passed away. As he had become older, he had finally grown in interest in the family business. He didn't do most of the work-hired hands did that, and the hired hands were usually overseen by his two Romulan friends, Laris and Zhaban. They were both currently visiting friends in Russia.

He did have Elnor, Raffi, and Soji with him. He had been teaching the young Romulan male about grapes, and wines, and the young man showed an affinity for it. Raffi would rather just drink the finished product, which didn't surprise Picard.

Soji Asha was walking with him as he checked the vines. She, Raffi, and Elnor had been on the plantation when Picard was dealing with the situation involving Seven of Nine. All of that seemed to be calming down.

“I miss talking to Seven”, Soji said, picking one grape off of a vine, and chomping on it. No, she certainly wasn't her father, Data. Both she and Picard were advanced synths, that could eat, drink, and even die. Picard often wished Data could have tasted a good wine. “But I have a feeling she's going to be tied up in San Francisco for a while.”

“Yes, she will be”, Picard agreed. “Fortunately, Admiral Janeway has recovered nicely, and it's understandable that Seven wants to stay close to her for now.”

“They have a thing for each other, don't they?”

Picard grinned over at the young woman. “A 'thing'? Who taught you to say that.” He held up his hand as she began to respond. “Ah, you don't need to tell me. That definitely has the ring of Raffi Muskier to it.”

Soji laughed. “Yeah, Raffi likes Seven a lot, too, but she understands the bond between Seven and the Admiral. But I still think it hurts her a little.”

“I know it does”, Picard agreed. “I saw the look in Raffi's eyes the first time they met. Seven has that effect on a lot of people.”

“Yeah, no doubt about that”, Soji laughed again. “What do you think of them as a couple?”

“Seven and Kathryn?” Soji nodded. “Two strong, highly intelligent, highly motivated, nerve-rackingly stubborn woman.” Picard laughed along with Soji this time. “And as fearless as any people I've ever met”, he said with genuine admiration. “If they don't let their egos get in the way, I'd say it's a match mate in Heaven.”

Soji noticed a sudden blue light far behind Picard. She had enough experience now to know when someone was being beamed somewhere. “Admiral”, Soji said with only mild alarm, “someone just arrived.”

“What...”

He turned and looked at the person who was about three hundred meters away, coming toward him. “Soji, do you have the phaser I gave you for protection?”

“Of course”, she replied, now becoming more worried. “I keep it with me all the time.”

“May I borrow it?”

Soji hesitated, then handed the weapon to Picard. “Stay here, young lady.”

She wasn't going anywhere as she saw Picard move toward the figure approaching. It was definitely a Human male, and he suddenly put his hands over his head in a sign of surrender. Raffi and Elnor had been watching from further away, and both were rushing over toward Picard. Since the man seemed not to be armed, she moved that way, too.

* * *

“Hello, Picard”, the visitor said, with a grim smile on his face.

“I guess the the news of your death has been exaggerated, Maxwell”, Picard said in return, still pointing the phaser at the man. “I would think I'm the last person you'd want to see.”

“I'm not armed, Jean-Luc”, Benjamin Maxwell insisted. At that moment, Soji, Raffi, and Elnor arrived, Maxwell looking at them.

“Raffi”, Picard said, his eyes not leaving the former Captain of the U.S.S _Phoenix,_ “would you be kind enough to frisk Captain Maxwell?”

Raffi wasn't quite sure what was going on, although she had heard Picard mention the name Maxwell before, but she didn't hesitate. “You bet, JL”, she said, moving to the man and expertly patting him down. “He's clean.”

Picard lowered the weapon. Out of instinct, Elnor tried to step in front of his mentor, but Picard gently held him at bay.

“Why are you here, Captain? And just as importantly, how did you get here?”

Maxwell actually laughed. “It's an interesting story, and one I'm prepared to tell you. I assume you know how to contact Riker?”

“Of course I do”, Picard nodded. “Why do you ask?”

“I'd like him present when I tell my story.” He held up his hand as Picard began to speak again. “I expect to go back to jail, Picard, and I will do so willingly, but let's just say that I've had second thoughts about following Sloan any longer.”

“Sloan is still alive, too?”

Maxwell became more serious. “Get Riker here, and we'll talk.”

* * *

The Janeway Farm, Bloomington, Indiana

Kathryn Janeway had never been one who liked to stay still, or be doted on. She had been the worst patient on _Voyager_ among a shipload of bad patients. It was probably a good thing their doctor on the ship was the EMH, lest the _Voyager_ crew would have sent him into a nervous breakdown.

 _The more things change_ , Kathryn thought, _the more they stayed the same._

Not only was The Doctor here, but so was Seven...which she didn't actually mind. And so was Tom, B'Elanna and Miral. That was in addition to her sister, Phoebe. All of them had been waiting on her hand and foot.

She had been released from Starfleet Medical two days before, treated by Dr. Beverly Crusher, who, with the concurrence of the EMH, had told her a week of bed rest, just to make sure she was completely healed.

“Phoebes”, Kathryn said, her tummy full, “I can't eat another bite. I'm stuffed!”

“Nonsense, sis”, Phoebe Janeway replied with a smile. “Surely you have room for at least one homemade brownie?”

Kathryn licked her lips. There had been _nothing_ in the Universe better than her mother's brownies. Gretchen Janeway had been a Traditionalist. She had cooked all her food from scratch. Kathryn thanked God for that on many occasions. After rebelling against the Traditionalist ways for years, Phoebe had settled back home after their mother had died, and was _almost_ as good a cook as their mom had been. “Well”, she said, a thin smile curling her lips, “I do think I have room for one brownie.”

“That's what I thought”, Phoebe said with a wink, heading back toward the kitchen.

“You've always told me your mom's brownies were the best, Kathryn?”

Janeway chuckled. “I did, didn't I?” She looked at Seven sadly. “I'm sorry it took me this long for me to keep my promise for you to come to Indiana, Seven.”

“There is nothing to be sorry for”, the younger woman objected. “I was just as much at fault in my own way as you. But we are here, now, and that's all that matters, isn't it?”

Kathryn put her hand over Seven's. “Thank you for taking care of me, Seven. I'm not an easy patient.”

“Truer words have never been spoken by you, Kathryn Janeway.”

“Oh, yeah?” Janeway gave her a mock glare, but with a smile on her face. “I don't know how I feel about that statement.”

“She's right, Admiral.” The Doctor had entered the room, giving Seven a smile, Seven trying to hold back a laugh. “It's probably the most accurate statement you've ever made.”

“I'm being ganged up on”, Janeway said with a pout. At that moment, Phoebe returned, with B'Elanna in her wake.

“Oh, suck it up, Janeway”, Torres said with a smirk of her own. “You always made me look like a model patient in Sickbay.” Everyone laughed.

“OK, you guys are supposed to be taking care of me, not ganging up on me!” Everyone laughed again.

“You know we're only kidding, Kathryn”, Seven said, looking at her former commander. “It's a burden of love, you know?”

“It is?”

Everyone looked at B'Elanna, who couldn't keep the laughter from following her words.

“Torres”, Kathryn said, trying to look stern...but then crumbling into her own laughter. “Oh, what the hell.” The laughter increased.

Tom and Miral had been out gathering some more food in Bloomington for Phoebe, the two of them arriving back a few minutes later.

Kathryn couldn't help but look around proudly at the family and friends...no, she amended, the family she had around her. They were all family, that much she knew. It had sustained her in the Delta Quadrant, and, despite some years wandering alone, she had them back. She would never take them for granted again.

* * *

As they were relaxing that night in the farmhouse, Seven remembered a promise she had made to B'Elanna and Tom. She had been sitting next to Kathryn, when she looked over at Miral, talking to her mother. Seven rose from her seat. “Miral, I wonder if you would like to go out and sit on the swing and talk with me for a while.”

Miral Paris' eyes lit up. “Khaless, I'd love to, Aunt Seven.” She looked at her mom.

“Get out of here you two”, B'Elanna said with shining eyes. She was happy that Miral admired Seven so much, and knew that the separation from her “aunt”, had bothered her daughter for a number of years.

Miral and Seven were on the swing in a matter of seconds, looking out over the warm evening. “It's been so long since we've talked, Aunt Seven”, Miral said, leaning into the older women. “When I was younger, we used to talk for hours.”

“We did, didn't we?” Seven hugged the younger lady. “I'm so sorry I abandoned you for so long, Miral”, she said with palpable sadness in her voice. “I was in a bad way for such a long time. And I brought shame on everyone I knew with my actions.”

“Don't be too hard on yourself, Seven”, Miral advised her. “What happened to Chakotay was awful, and what they did to Icheb...” Miral had been not even a teenager when Icheb had been killed. She not only looked up to Seven, but had looked up to Icheb and Naomi Wildman as well, both of them being older friends for her once they arrived back on Earth. “As a part-Klingon, I understand the need you had to avenge his death.”

“I don't regret killing Bjayzl, Miral”, Seven said with a shaky voice. “She deserved it, but...I went far over the line, when I attacked the Romulan and Ferengi outposts. Not only did I step way beyond a line that Starfleet would consider justifiable, but even beyond the line of what the Rangers feel was justified.”

“It's behind us now, Aunt Seven”, Miral said softly, as she put her head on Seven's shoulder once again. “I'm just glad I didn't lose you.” They were silent for a few minutes, when Miral spoke again. “So, you and Aunt Kathryn are gonna finally make a go of it?”

“Miral Paris...”, Seven began.

“Don't Miral Paris me, Aunt Seven”, she said with a laugh. “You don't think I see the way you two look at each other? You two are perfect together. It's about damn time, as mom would say.”

Seven rolled her eyes. “You are your mother's daughter, Miral Torres”, Seven said with a laugh, then she became serious. “I think that's what will happen. We still are trying to figure things out. Things were so bad for so long between us...”

“But you're both here now, Seven, and you can't let the chance slip by.”

Seven looked at the younger Paris, who was taller than her mom, but much shorter than her father. “When did you become so smart?”

Miral smirked. “Good breeding?”

Seven burst out laughing. “I won't argue with that. Even if I did, your mother would have words with me.” She turned and gave Miral a warm, loving hug. “I'm so glad you're back in my life, Miral.”

“I love you, Aunt Seven”, Miral said sweetly. “I always have, and always will. You aren't getting rid of me this time.”

Seven laughed again. “So tell me, what are you planning to do after graduating next year from Kent State?”

The two women talked for over an hour, both reveling in the normalcy of their conversation.


	14. Chapter 14

XIV

France

**Will Riker beamed to Picard's home** after his former Captain had told the retired Admiral that he needed to get to France immediately. Picard would give Riker no information when he had contacted him, lest other ears or eyes be monitoring. Will knew Jean-Luc would not tell him it was urgent if it wasn't.

He materialized near the home Picard maintained, with Jean-Luc waiting for him at the front door.

“For a man who says this is urgent”, Will quipped, “you look pretty relaxed, Jean-Luc.”

“Oh, I assure you it's urgent, Will”, the other retired Admiral replied. “And very unexpected. Come with me, Number One.”

They walked through Picard's house, and out on the rear patio that overlooked the grapevines. There was a second slab of concrete closer to the vines, Riker being able to see Elnor, Raffi, Soji, and....

“What the hell is _he_ doing here? I thought he was dead?”

Jean-Luc gave Riker a small grin. “Apparently not. He beamed here not an hour ago, and says he has information for us.”

“So apparently he didn't die when that Romulan bird was destroyed?” That made Will think out loud. “How the hell did he and Sloan get hooked up with a Warbird?”

“I have a feeling, Number One”, Picard said, his eyebrows shooting up, “that we're about to find out.”

* * *

Jean-Luc had even poured Ben Maxwell a glass of one of his wines. Picard figured if the man was relaxed, he would be even more cooperative. It didn't hurt that Raffi Muskier was holding a phaser nearby, aimed right at Maxwell's chest.

“Riker”, Maxwell said, not rising, but raising his glass in salute, “it's been a helluva long time, hasn't it?”

“Not long enough”, Will said with annoyance. He turned to Jean-Luc. “And you're letting him drink your wine?”

“I'd be a poor host if I didn't let a visitor sample my products, would I?”

Riker snorted in disgusted laughter, but accepted it.

“All right, Maxwell”, Picard said, when he and Riker were seated, “are you going to fill us in on what this is all about?”

“What? You two don't want to talk about the fun times we had so many years ago?”

Raffi didn't like the smile on Maxwell's face. “If I were you, mister”, she said with almost a growl, “I wouldn't joke around here. I don't think JL and the Admiral are happy to see you.”

Maxwell just laughed.

“If I were you, Captain”, Picard warned the visitor, “I would not test Ms. Muskier's patience. She is correct, so let's have it.”

“Very well”, Maxwell said, his face becoming serious.

He spent the next twenty minutes going over everything that had happened since he had answered Sloan's call, all the way through the destruction of the _Qeh_ , and the involvement of Commander Sela. Hearing Sela's name made both Picard and Riker blanch.

“Why the hell would someone like Sela ally herself with Sloan?” On the surface, it didn't make much sense to Riker.

“Most likely his ties to the _Tal Shiar_ ”, Picard offered. “It may be that Sela is quite aware of Sloan's Romulan past. Perhaps Sloan made some promises to her.”

“Just as he did to me”, Maxwell interjected. “His grand plan was to take control of The Federation, rebuild the Romulans to something approaching an empire, and to eventually take on the Klingons. Sela would have been a bigwig in a new empire. He wanted me to run Starfleet.”

Raffi just couldn't keep quite. “You?” She laughed loudly. “You've got to be kidding?”

Picard looked over at Raffi. “It isn't as far-fetched as it might sound, my dear. Captain Maxwell, at one time was on a fast-track to bigger things.” Picard told his younger visitors about Maxwell's history, and how his career had come crashing down aboard the _Phoenix_. “As I told Gul Macet at the time, Captain Maxwell was considered a hero in The Federation. He was punished, as he should have been, for what he did, but had he chosen a different path, he might very well be head of Starfleet right now.”

Maxwell looked genuinely at Picard's words. “High praise, coming from the man who stopped me.” There was lingering resentment in Maxwell's voice. “And you do know events proved me right.”

“We won't rehash this, Captain, but how you went about it was the crime. There were far better ways to handle it. Be that as it may”, he concluded the statement that told Maxwell there would be no further discussion about that incident, “now we need to continue forward. What's Sloan planning?”

* * *

Later That Evening

Mike Patterson had called in Edward Jellico and Owen Paris into his office. He had just finished talking to Picard, and had sent a security detail to France. He needed to fill in his top lieutenants. Neither was expecting what they heard.

“They have Maxwell?” Owen Paris looked at the others. “And Sela is involved with this? Can this thing get any crazier?”

“Don't say that too loud, Owen”, the C-in-C observed. “You might get your wish.”

“So it sounds like Sloan is gonna make a play somewhere here in San Francisco-go out with a blaze of glory?”

“Who knows? He may think he still has a chance to pull off his crazy scheme. Whatever he eventually does”, Patterson continued, “we have to believe he's pretty much out of his mind at this time.”

“From what you tell us, Mike”, Jellico noted, “it sounds like Sela is playing taxi service for the guy, and then will high-tail it out of our space.”

“That's What Maxwell is saying”, Patterson confirmed. “Ben says Sela and Sloan really can't stand each other, but felt they could make this work.”

“Fools”, Paris said with a disgusted shake of his head. “I don't think we want her to get away, do we?” He looked sharply at the others. “I don't think she alone can resurrect the Romulan Empire, but if she has one War Bird, there's a good bet she has others. She's a threat to this day.”

“And they have a cloaked ship...” Jellico was tapping his index finger to his lips. “Owen, what about that ship your son and daughter-in-law helped design?”

“ _Phantom_?”

Jellico nodded. “We've been studying her sister ship, _Icheb I_ , and I'm not kidding when I say a lot of what is on there is better than anything we have. Is there a way that maybe they can get airborne and scout for this other ship?”

“I don't see why not”, Owen said with a shrug. “The two of them, along with Tuvok, who is currently on McKinley Station, would have a decent chance at locating Sela's ship.”

“why don't you get in touch with Tom, then?”

Owen nodded. “I can do that, Mike.” Paris rose from his seat. “If you'll excuse me, gentlemen, I'll call him from my office.”

Paris was out the door quickly.

“What about Seven and Janeway? They're still in Indiana, aren't they?”

“They are, Ed. It might be a good idea to have some reinforcements there, just to be safe?”

“Marines?”

“That and some of Janeway's old crew. I know Ayala, Nicoletti, and Kim are in the sector. I think having them, along with two squads of Marines would be enough, don't you?”

“I don't see why not.” Jellico thought for another moment. “Sloan thinks they're here in San Francisco, doesn't he?”

“From all indications, but it's probably better to be safe than sorry, Ed."

* * *

Owen Paris did one better. After he contacted Tom, he informed Patterson that he was beaming to Bloomington to talk to Janeway and everyone else. He wanted to make sure everyone was on the same page. At the same time, at the behest of Patterson, Jellico ordered Captain's Harry Kim, Mike Ayala, and Susan Nicoletti to report to San Francisco. They would arrive the next morning.

“With Tom and B'Elanna taking _Phantom_ out with Tuvok, who is also on his way here, we thought it might be a good idea for you to have some extra friends around, just in case.” Owen glanced around at the others.

“That's awfully kind of you, Owen”, Kathryn spoke up for them all. “I was almost going to say it's not necessary, but too many strange things have happened this past year.” She winked at Seven, who blushed, everyone catching it. “It will be nice seeing my former crew members. It's been a long time.”

“That's what I thought”, Owen Paris smiled. “We'll also have a few Federation Marines around as well, just to play picket duty on the property.”

“I still can't believe those p'taq's got away from us”, B'Elanna grumbled. “We didn't detect anything else.” Then she thought about it. “Then again, they were cloaked.”

“We know there's a very good chance that Romulan ship is in the vicinity of Earth, and it would make sense for Sloan to want to go to San Francisco.” Owen couldn't keep a small smirk off his face. “Personally, I don't think he has a chance in hell of accomplishing anything. Our sources say Commander Sela is going to head back toward Romulan space as soon as Sloan's off her ship.”

“That's where we come in?” Tom smiled at his father.

“Exactly”, Owen confirmed with a nod. He raised an eyebrow at his son and daughter-in-law. “You two, I might add, are going to become quite wealthy after all of this is over. We've studied both _Phantom_ and _Icheb I._ Many of our engineers are just flabbergasted at how much better they are than what Starfleet has.” Tom and B'Elanna traded a smile.

“Looks like we're finally gonna hit the big time, Torres”, Tom said with a grin.

“Just as long as I end up front and center in your will”, Miral said with her own broad grin, making the others laugh.

“You're behind me, kid”, Janeway said with a lopsided grin, which set off more laughter.

“OK”, Owen said, “Harry, Mike, and Sue, along with the Marines should be here by midday tomorrow. We're on a higher alert level in San Francisco, so I think that covers it.”

“Admiral Paris”, Phoebe Janeway spoke up, “why don't you stay for dinner? We've got a lot of food, and it would be an honor for you to stay?”

“Yeah, dad”, Tom said with a smile, “you haven't seen your granddaughter in a while, so stay for dinner.” Tom stopped dead for a moment. “Did I _really_ say that. How times have changed.” Everyone stood, Owen getting up and clapping his son on the back.

“Twenty years ago”, Owen said, still chuckling, “I'd have had you committed for saying that.”

Phoebe and the others started to put the meal together. An hour later, they were all in animated conversation, talking about anything except Starfleet, a large family enjoying being together.


	15. Chapter 15

XV

**Sloan was not ready to simply give up.**

He knew he didn't have much of a chance now-when the Klingons had stepped in and discovered his subterfuge above Fenris, his plan had pretty much fallen apart. Yet he had been a survivor over the years, and still believed that he had a destiny to play out.

He also had a few tricks up his sleeve as well.

“You really think you can pull that off?” Sela had always heard this man was...eccentric...when it came to his tactical abilities, but she was astounded at the audacity of what he wanted to do. So much so, that she gave him some begrudging respect for it.

“My dear Commander”, Sloan said, having no doubt about what he was about to do, “I do think I can pull it off. I still have that one, over-riding goal in mind, and I intend to accomplish it. I plan to beam down to the planet in just over a day. I'll give you the coordinates to where I want to go, and then you can be on your way.”

“That is fine by me, Mr. Sloan”, Sela said, the amusement gone. “Had you not out-ranked me for being in the _Tal Shiar_ , I doubt I would have ever considered this.”

“I'm glad you still adhere to the ways of the homeworld, Commander. We're outliers among the Romulan order-I'm fully human, and you're half human, yet we're all that's about left of what used to be.” Sela had never heard the man sound so sad. She shared that sadness, remembering how great the Romulan Empire had once been.

“I still hope to re-establish the Empire, Sloan”, Sela noted. “If you're around when that happens, and despite my better judgment, you'll be welcome to return-but with me in command, not you.”

Sloan simply laughed. “When that time comes, Commander, we'll see who is in ultimate command. But for now, I graciously accept your offer. But for now, I need to rest up. Tomorrow will be a busy day.”

* * *

Around 1200 The Next Day, Bloomington

“Well I'll be damned”, Tom Paris said, sitting on the expansive front porch of the Janeway home. He was looking skyward as a Federation shuttle was getting ready to touch down. “Hey everyone! They're here!”

The group scrambled from all parts of the house and headed outside to greet the new arrivals. In a matter of moments, the familiar visages of Harry, Mike, and Sue bounded out, broad grins on all their faces.

Out of courtesy and respect, the three former _Voyager_ crew members that arrived greeted Janeway first. Being gentlemen, Mike and Harry let Sue Nicoletti go first. Sue raced into Kathryn's open arms.

“Oh my God, Captain...er, I mean, Admiral!” Janeway gave a deep, rich laugh, holding the younger women tightly.

“You can call me either, Susan”, Kathryn responded, breaking the hug to look at her. “You look wonderful...Captain.” She winked at the woman.

“Thank you, Admiral”, Sue said with a blush. “It's been such a long time...” Sue began to cry a little.

“It has been, Susan”, Kathryn said, hugging her again. “But no matter how far apart we are, we're always family.” Sue nodded, making room for Ayala.

“Mike!” The former security officer gave Kathryn a bear hug, laughing as he did so.

“You know what happens if I had done this on _Voyager_ , Admiral?” He winked at her.

“Out the airlock!” They both laughed, Ayala giving Janeway a kiss on the cheek.

Finally, Harry walked up. Harry was truly like a son that Kathryn had never had. “Oh, Captain Kim, we meet again.” They had seen each other not long ago, but Janeway always felt good at seeing Harry Kim. “Welcome home.” She gave Harry a kiss on the cheek, making him blush.

“It's good to be back home, Admiral”, he said, the embrace renewed. “You and Seven haven't killed each other?” Seven was just behind Kathryn, and she snorted a laugh at Harry, going up and giving him a hug and a kiss.

“We're beyond that possibility, Mr. Kim”, she said with a laugh. “At least I think we are.”

“ _Uncle Harry_!”

Without warning, Harry was almost knocked to the ground by Miral Paris. Everyone from _Voyager_ was an honorary aunt or uncle to Miral, with the exception of Naomi Wildman, when she saw her (they were “cousins”). Like her parents and Janeway, she thought of Harry Kim as the real deal.

“Miral!” Harry hugged her tight, the younger woman crying upon seeing her “Uncle”. “Let me look at you, kiddo.” Miral broke the embraced, letting Harry have a look at her. Harry was flabbergasted. “You're no longer a little girl. Where has the time gone?”

Miral laughed happily, hugging him again. “I've got my Aunt Seven and Uncle Harry with me again. This can't get any better.”

* * *

The group poured into the house, while Kathryn, Seven, and Phoebe met the Federation Marines who had arrived as well.

The Marine who led the two squads introduced himself. “Admiral”, the man said with a crisp salute, even though Kathryn was no longer active, “I'm Colonel Trevor Grantham, in command of these squads. If you have a few minutes, I'd like to go over what we plan to do here.”

“By all means, Colonel”, Janeway said with a smile. “We'd be honored if you joined us for lunch. What you have to say can be heard by all of us.”

“Thank you, Admiral”, he said with a smile. “If my nose isn't fooling me, that smells like real food coming from the house?”

Kathryn nodded. “My parents were Traditionalists, and my sister Phoebe”, she nodded to her left where Phoebe was, “have kind of continued their ways, at least while we live her.”

“My parents were the same way, Admiral”, he said, his eyes bulging. “I haven't had a Traditionalist meal in quite a while. Is there enough room for me and my Marines?”

“We'll make room”, Phoebe chimed, looking at the handsome Colonel standing before her. Kathryn rolled her eyes, but said nothing else.

* * *

Shortly after they sat down for dinner-they eventually went outside to use the picnic tables that were available, Tuvok showed up, and joined the festivities. He would never admit it, but he had always been a fan of Gretchen Janeway, and her wonderful cooking. Vulcan's liked bland food most of the time, but Tuvok appreciated the traditions that Gretchen had passed down to her daughters.

After the meal, Tuvok, Tom, and B'Elanna prepared to leave for San Francisco, and then to McKinley Station, where _Phantom_ was currently docked. Tuvok had been fully briefed on the situation by Admiral Patterson before he arrived in Bloomington.

Kathryn, Miral, Seven, and The Doctor were there to see them off. “I know I don't need to tell you this, Tuvok”, Janeway said with a smile, “but no hero bullshit.”

Tuvok's eyes shot up in surprise. “I assure you, Admiral”, he said, sounding hurt, “that I will not be spreading any manure on the floor of the _Phantom_. It would not be wise.”

Janeway held in her laugh, but Paris snorted a laugh, breaking the tension.

“I know you won't, old friend. You know what I mean.”

Miral was talking to her mother. “Why can't I come along? You know I'm a good pilot?”

“Not for this, Miral”, B'Elanna said with complete seriousness. “I don't expect a scouting mission to be dangerous, but we're going to be looking for some pretty nasty people. You aren't quite ready for this.”

“How am I supposed to get the experience if...”

“No, young lady”, Torres said, with more emphasis. “I know you didn't want to go to the Academy, and wanted to do civilian flying, so this is the price you are gonna have to pay. I'm sorry, honey”, B'Elanna said more softly, “but it's the way it has to be. Besides, I'm trusting you to help look after Aunt Seven and Aunt Kathryn.”

“I get it”, Miral said, knowing she had tried. “You and dad just be safe out there, Okay?”

“We will, baby”, B'Elanna said, giving her daughter a fierce hug.

“Hey B'El?” B'Elanna looked over at her husband who was approaching. “It's time to head to San Francisco.” He looked at his daughter. “Did she try to talk you into going?”

Torres snickered. “Is she your daughter? Of course she did.”

Miral wrapped her father in another ferocious hug. “I do wish I was going, dad.”

“I know, sweetheart, but...well, I know your mom explained it to you.”

Torres had moved over to Seven, looking her friend in the eye. “You two keep safe when we're gone, Borg.”

Seven laughed. “Of course-Klingon.” They wrapped up in a hug. “Same for you guys.”  
  
“I'd feel better if I were here, Sev, but...”

Seven shook her head. “None of that, Torres. We both have jobs to do. Now get outta here before I do something very un-Borg like and start crying.”

B'Elanna tiptoed up and kissed her friend on the cheek. “Q'apla.”

“Good luck to you, too.”

Two hours later, Tom had _Phantom_ un-docked from McKinley, and set the ship at Warp 2, using the most direct course between Earth and Romulan space. His job was to get them ahead of the Romulan ship, if they hadn't already left, and try to find them.


	16. Chapter 16

XVI

Two Hours Earlier

“ **Are the coordinates correct, Commander?** ”

“Yes, Mr. Sloan, we've checked them four times. You're going to land right where you expect, I assure you. I expect you're doing more than just beaming down, am I correct?”

“Oh, yes, you can safely assume that, Commander. I still have resources on Earth I can call upon to assist me. All is not lost yet.”

“That may be, but I'm not staying here. I'm headed back home. I've damaged my reputation enough on this fools' errand.”

“That's your opinion, Commander”, Sloan said frostily. “I still have a goal that I think is worthwhile. And with that”, he said, standing up from his seat on the Bridge, “I think it is time to get on with it.”

Sloan and Sela walked to the transporter room, Sloan checking the coordinates that had been entered one more time.

Her went to his spot on the pad, turning one last time to Sela. “I do wish you a safe journey home, Commander Sela.” For once, Sela heard no deceit or sarcasm in his voice, even though she looked at him suspiciously. “What? The Romulan Empire, or whatever they want to call it now, will always hold a special place in my heart. May the Empire rise again.”

Sela nodded, tempted to say something, but letting it go. Without taking her eyes off of Sloan, she commanded the Romulan at the controls. “Energize.”

With that, Sloan was out of her life.

Sela headed back to the Bridge. She had requested all the personnel onboard be present. There were three Human still on the ship. “I will give you a choice. You can return with us to Romulan space, or, if you so wish, I can transport you to Earth, or somewhere else, as long as it's on our course.”

The three humans talked among themselves for a moment, then indicated they would want to be transported back to Earth. She did have one request on them.

“This ship is leaving in three hours”, she announced. “Before you go, I would request that you help us do a complete systems check before we depart, then you may leave.”

The Humans agreed, and the crew, including Sela, went to work on checking weapons, propulsion, shields, the cloak, and other systems, just to make sure everything was operating within normal parameters.

* * *

“I suppose you've been working on ways to defeat the Romulan cloak?”

B'Elanna had moved from her engineering console on _Phantom_ immediately after they had left McKinley, moving over to see what the Vulcan was up to.

“I have, Ms. Torres”, Tuvok said evenly. “I have been analyzing this since Admiral Patterson informed me of what has transpired.”

“Any good ideas?”

“I have been testing a few theories in a holodeck on McKinley Station, and I have at least one that might be promising.”

“Care to clue us in, Tuvok?” Tom joined the conversation, as he set a course to put Phantom on the most direct course between Earth and Romulan space.

“The Daystrom Institute's Division of Technology has been working on a scan that combines the elements of a Tachyon scan and a Quantum Resonance scan, which can be sent out passively, over a wide area, to detect cloaked ships. The _Icheb I_ was moved to the Institute, and it has been the catalyst for this study. The combination has not located the _Icheb I_ on any live tests in space, however...”

B'Elanna had a knack for cutting in. “However, that ship and this one are made of a a reinforced Dentarium and Polyduranide alloy, which absorbs any known scans.”

Tom caught on. “And the Romulan vessel, like the War Bird, is made of Duranium and Tritanium alloys, which the advanced scanners onboard just might be able to detect?”

“That is correct, Mr. Paris”, Tuvok nodded. “Although imperfect, the use of this combined Tachyon and Quantum Resonance scan has shown some success in penetrating a theoretically cloaked Federation vessel. Of course, to this day, The Federation still does not know the exact metallic makeup of a _D'deridex Class_ Warship hull, or any other Romulan vessel, so in essence, the program I have brought with me, will have its first live test on a non-Starfleet vessel.”

“How long will it take you to install the program in the computer?”

“Perhaps an hour, Ms. Torres”, Tuvok informed her. “I will need the holodeck onboard to calibrate the program to this ship's systems. This ship is almost identical to _Icheb I_ , so I do not foresee any problems.”

“The sooner the better”, Tom advised. “We don't even know if they're still in the area.”

* * *

Sloan dare not return to his home in San Francisco. He was paranoid, but not stupid. He knew that, most likely, his house was either occupied or under close surveillance. Besides, for what he wanted to do, at least at the moment, that was too close to the lion's den.

However, San Francisco wasn't the only place where he had someplace to live. A number of dwellings were his whenever he wanted them across the planet. The one he had just arrived in was in Montevideo, Uruguay. It had all the luxuries of his San Francisco domicile, including a non-traceable computer that had a back door into The Federation, and a highly sophisticated encryption system that allowed him to contact certain living assets he had available to him.

It was late in the evening, and as tired as he was, he knew he needed a good nights' sleep, but before bedding down for the night, he put out an encrypted message which put a half dozen of his assets on alert. It simply let them know he was around, and that he would be requiring their assistance in the very near future.

With that, he had no choice but to wade off to sleep.

* * *

The Next Day, Bloomington

Kathryn Janeway was in discussions with Colonel Grantham, a well as Captain Mike Ayala. Ayala had been number two on _Voyager's_ security team behind Tuvok while in the Delta Quadrant, the former Maquis veteran earning Janeway's trust over the years. She simply felt with, someone that she knew in on the security arrangements, she would feel better.

“I like your deployment, Colonel”, Ayala said after the brief, and going over a digital map of how the deployment would take place. “I don't think it'll be needed, but like the Admiral mentioned, we can't be too careful.”

There were thirty Marines in the group, fifteen on patrol at any one time, with rotating shifts. Starfleet had transported in pre-fabricated field quarters for the Marines that had been set up with amazing speed, which included beds, showers and latrines, a staffed mess hall, as well as a command area for the Colonel. The plan also included a picket of drone aircraft that would patrol in a circumference roughly fifteen kilometers around the property. It was, as the Colonel had told Janeway, defense-in-depth.

Kathryn had tried to convince Phoebe and Miral to leave the farm, for their own safety. They weren't in the military, or had been, like Kathryn and the others, and she didn't want them in harms way.

“Kath, what are the chances anything is going to happen here?”

Kathryn looked at her younger sister. “Not very great, to be honest, Phoebe. The true target is San Francisco, but caution is always a good thing-which is why I wish you two would leave for a while.”

“This is my home, too, and I'm staying here with you and Seven. Miral is an adult, and she's made up her own mind as well. We'll be out of the way, I promise. We'll be fine.”

Janeway had no choice but to accept Phoebe's resolve. The Janeway women tried to make their former shipmates as comfortable as possible while the Marines did their work.


	17. Chapter 17

XVII

The Next Morning, Montevideo

**When Sloan had left the company of Sela** and the Romulan shuttle, he had meant it when he told the Commander that he still thought he could accomplish his goal. He failed to mention to her which goal, and how he was going to to it. In face, he hadn't the foggiest what he was going to do when he arrived back on Earth.

Through another incredible stroke of luck, he knew exactly what he was going to do.

He had sent out queries to about a dozen of his most trusted operatives before going to bed the night before. He had heard back from seven of them. That was all well and good. What almost knocked him off his chair when he read their replies was where one of them currently was.

What was even better is that the operative was able to give him a treasure trove of information. He now had a clear idea of what he was going to do, and what his goal was. It was time for him to call his operatives together for a clandestine meeting.

* * *

Near The Federation-Romulan Border

“Initial sweep initiated”, Tuvok said in his usual calm voice.

He had just begun the scan that everyone hoped would find this cloaked Romulan shuttle that was allegedly headed toward home. They knew there was no guarantee that they'd find the ship, or that the ship hadn't already crossed the border. It wasn't technically called “The Neutral Zone” any longer, as there was no real Romulan Empire to speak of, however the Romulan Free State was still a very dangerous area.

The scan would extend in a one-hundred-and-eighty degree arc to the port and starboard of _Phantom_ , that would extend ten million kilometers, and wouldn't be detectable-again it was hoped-to any ships traversing the area. This was still experimental stuff, even Tuvok knew that.

Phantom was situated almost on top of the border between the Yadalla and Antares Sectors, the closest celestial bodies nearby being Mintaka III and Garadius IV. The point they were at a almost a straight line from Earth to Romulan space.

“Now comes the fun part”, B'Elanna growled, making Tom snicker.

“Yeah, the space equivalent of watching the grass grow.” His wife sent him a small smile.

“Patience is needed in this endeavor, Mr. Paris”, Tuvok reminded him. “If they are indeed looking for the shortest path between Earth and the border, they should cross, they should pass through our sensor scan.”

“Chill a little, Tuvok”, B'Elanna said with a smile and wink toward the Vulcan. “We're just acting like two normal...well, one normal Human”, she nodded at her husband, “and one...normal Human/Klingon hybrid. Patience is not a virtue of either of our cultures.”

“Yeah, if you weren't here, B'Elanna and I would have no trouble filling the time.” He looked over at his wife, giving her a mischievous grin of his own.” Naturally, sitting next to Tom, she took that opportunity to slug his arm.

“I have no wish to be serenaded about your...sexual activities, Mr. Paris”, Tuvok said in the same calm voice, although Tom could swear Tuvok _almost_ smiled. “We have enough work making sure our systems are in order to pass the time.”

“He's a party-pooper”, Tom said, glancing at B'Elanna.

“Yeah, no sense of adventure whatsoever”, Torres responded looking back at Tuvok, who merely raised his eyebrows slightly. “But I'll run some diagnostic checks just to make sure we can get the hell out of here when it's time. I'm sure you can find something to do, helmboy.”

Tom snickered. “Aye, ma'am, sounded like an order to me.”

Tuvok merely looked at the couple with some exasperation. He probably understood Human Beings better than most Vulcans, yet even with all his knowledge, he still could not figure them out.

* * *

Admiral Mike Patterson, C-in-C of Starfleet Command, didn't like how quiet things had suddenly become. After Picard and Riker had brought Ben Maxwell to San Francisco, it simply became too peaceful. He couldn't explain it, but to be fair, Human Beings couldn't explain hunches.

One item that was nagging at him was sending _Phantom_ out on it's own to try and interdict the Romulan scout ship. He knew _Phantom_ and her crew could win a fight, but that wasn't what was troubling him. He wanted Sela, like Sloan, alive, if he could. He could garner some valuable information from the Romulan woman about the state of efforts to rebuild the Romulan Empire, and perhaps even any improvements in weapons and defense.

With Sloan, he simply wanted him alive to bring his whole rotten house of cards down around the man. He felt the chances to get either, or one of them, alive, was less than fifty-fifty, but he could at least do something about Sela-if she was still in Federation space.

He contacted Admiral Jellico who was a few floors down from where he was. He needed to make some decisions.

“Ed”, he began with his subordinate, “do we have any free ships anywhere within hailing distance of _Phantom_?”

Jellico looked away from his screen to another screen to check the latest on deployment. “I have The _Anwar Sadat_ nearby in the Vulcan Sector, and I've got _Voyager_ near Yadalla Prime. You thinking of having them shadow _Phantom_?”

“I am”, Patterson confirmed. “I don't want to make it look too obvious that they're there for a reason, but Sela, if she's still in our territory, has already passed about a dozen of our ships, of all types, if she's on the course we think she is.”

“Makes sense. Do you want me to cut orders for them?”

“Not yet, Ed”, Patterson said. “I want you to carve out a route for both of them that makes it looks like they're just out for a Sunday stroll, if you know what I mean.”

“I get it”, Jellico responded. “By the way, you may want to take a look at the intel from that area”, he added with a mild smile.

“Why? Something I should know about?”

“I think you might find it...interesting, Mike.”

* * *

Onboard the U.S.S _Anwar Sadat_

“ _Bridge to Lavalle. Captain, I'm receiving a transmission from Starfleet Command, Admiral Jellico. It's for your eyes only._ ”

Captain Sam Lavalle had been eating dinner aboard his _Galaxy Class_ ship in Ten Forward, a name synonymous with that type of vessel. He had been discussing cross-training that was taking place among his Bridge crew with his Security Officer, who was assigned to that task. The cross-training helped the crew be efficient in several departments in case of emergencies where crew members were incapacitated. He had just taken a swig of a Great Lakes Brewing Company Dortmunder Gold beer. Beer had not fallen out of style on Earth, and Lavalle was definitely a connoisseur of beers that were still made all over North America.

“Advise Admiral Jellico that I'll be in my Ready Room in three minutes. Lavalle out.”

“Sorry Tina”, he said with a wink, “but an Admiral beats a lager every time.”

“That's OK”, Lieutenant Christina Lloyd responded. “That just means I can finish it off for you.”

Lavalle eyed his colleague, but smiled as he got up to take his summons.

As promised, within a matter of minutes, the visage of Admiral Edward Jellico appeared on his screen. “Admiral Jellico, my apologies, I was having dinner in Ten Forward.”

“Don't think twice about it, Captain”, Jellico said, but as usual, he was all business-like. “I'm cutting you some orders-they won't take you very far from where you are or where you're going, but you're needed right now.”

“Always glad to be of service”, Lavalle said, as the information on what he would be doing came up on the PADD in his hand. “Scout work? What's this ship _Phantom_?”

Jellico explained the situation with the Romulan scout ship, and what _Phantom_ was all about, as well as the other Starfleet vessel that would be in on the operation.

“If you have any questions, you can contact Admiral Shelby on _Voyager_. She was taking _Voyager's_ new crew on a shakedown, but with her in the area, she'll be in overall command.”

“Aye, sir”, Lavalle said, then noticing another piece of information. “This last part...beg your pardon, Admiral”, he said with his still-boyish smile, “but is that legit?”

Jellico actually laughed. “Yes, Sam, believe me it is, but for the time being that's part of a fall back if things get dicey.”

“Understood, sir. I'll hail Shelby and we'll go over this. Thank you for the heads up, sir.”

“My pleasure, Captain, Jellico out.”

* * *

Near B'Soori III

Commander Sela had the shuttle on a steady course back home. Despite the advent of Starfleet's _Intrepid_ and _Sovereign_ _Class_ ships, she was certain that those ships could not find her cloaked vessel. Even though Romulus and the Empire no longer existed, what Romulan warships remained had upgraded their own technology over the years. Sela was confident of that estimate.

“Commander”, the woman at the helm advised, “we are beyond B'Soori III. Present course and speed will put us parallel with Mintaka III within two hours.”

“Very well”, Sela said, unhurried. “Adjust our course, Zero-One-Five, mark One-One-Six, same speed.”

“Aye, Commander.”

That would put them between Mintaka III and Tarsus IV. It was a minor course correction, but that would put her on a course to cross the border near the Romulan world Alpha Onias and onward to her base deeper in Romulan space at the world of Vax.

She didn't see everything as a failure on this venture. Sela had been able to learn some things simply by observing the Starfleet vessels that they were able to move near, taking passive readings from the ships, especially information on the aforementioned _Intrepid_ and _Sovereign Class_ ships.

 _How far we've fallen,_ they Romulan/Human hybrid thought sadly. _Once the greatest power in two quadrants, reduced to a “free state”._ It still rankled her, but one person could not put the Empire back together. When Romulus was destroyed, so was the fabric of what held the Empire together. There weren't just Romulans that lived in their territory, but Romulus had been the symbol of the control the Romulan race had over all others.

There was no doubt, in her mind, that factions within The Federation, among the Klingons, and even the Cardassians, were responsible for the continuing dissolution of the Empire, and had deliberately broken their promises to work on restoring their Empire. One of the great ironies, and Sela was well aware of it, is that one reason her old nemesis, Jean-Luc Picard had left Starfleet, was because The Federation had gone back on their word to assist what was left of the Romulan people. Despite the loss she still felt, that irony always made her laugh.

 _The only good thing,_ she pondered, before getting a meal, _is that by this time tomorrow, we'll be home._

* * *

It was 0600 in Bloomington, Indiana. Six of the Marines that had been sleeping were awaken by the alarm that told them to rise for the day. They would shower, dress, have a good breakfast, then head out to their assigned duty area, relieving six others who would go into sleep period. It was a normal, pedestrian routine for these Marines.

One of their numbers awoke feeling very excited for the day. Lieutenant Thomas Kündig was a former Swiss Guard serving at The Vatican. While for thousands of years, Switzerland had been neutral in the wars that had scourged Earth, the Swiss Guard was a force not to be trifled with, and had a reputation has tough warriors. He had an impeccable record with the Marines in Starfleet.

He also lived a double life while in the Marines.

Lieutenant Kündig was also an operative for Sloan and Section 31. He may have had an impeccable record as a Marine, but Sloan had used him as a henchman for many a-dirty job that needed to be done. He didn't shy away from unpleasant assignments. Kündig felt no conflict of interest between his job as a Marine as as a front for Sloan. He did both jobs the way his Bosses wanted it done. He followed their orders, and slept like a baby every night.

When Sloan had contacted him, and made reference to Kathryn Janeway and Seven of Nine-along with Starfleet and San Francisco, his eyes had lit up. Had Sloan asked him to go to San Francisco to raise arms against Starfleet itself, he would have turned the man down. But out here, knowing what he now knew, he saw his possible targets and those protecting them as an enemy to be dealt with.

Sloan had simply thanked him for the information for now, and made no indication if he was actively contemplating a move in Indiana. He had made clear that his mind had been on San Francisco. Sloan only shared as much information as was necessary. In this case, he kept his own counsel.

Until Sloan advised him otherwise, Kündig would continue his assignment with the Marines. If anyone other than a Sloan-sanctioned raid here, he would defend the very people that he might have to turn his weapons on.


	18. Chapter 18

XVIII

Two Hours Later, The Yadalla/Antares Border

**It had been a boring “search” so far** , B'Elanna Torres grumbled under her breath. She knew Tuvok was right in every regard: the Romulans could be gone; they may have taken a more circuitous route, or they could still be near Earth. But here they had waited and waited.

They had been informed they weren't the only ones waiting in the neighborhood. Starfleet had sent them a highly encrypted sub-space message carried on a wavelength that looked like simply space noise, to inform them that _Voyager_ and _Anwar Sadat_ were in the neighborhood.

Maybe that meant San Francisco had been given indications that their prey was coming. Or maybe, they were just firming up their bets.

Tuvok never seemed to want to sleep, Torres thought. He was currently seated at Tactical, Tom dozing off at the helm, as the computer sent them on their slow, meticulous, repetitious search pattern. Tuvok had also been right: if the Romulans crossed their threshold, there's a good chance they would know.

B'Elanna herself was starting to doze off-there were only so many checks of the engines she could do-when Tuvok spoke up.

“Contact”, the Vulcan said calmly, but his voice a little louder than normal. “Our sensors are picking up a possible cloaked ship.”

Tom came fully awake. “Course?”

“Course Two-Four-Eight, Mark Zero-One-Six, estimated range, twenty-three million kilometers.”

“Adjusting course to take us off their port.”

“I am sending a sub-space message to _Voyager_ and the _Sadat_.”

 _Finally some fun and excitement,_ B'Elanna said to herself.

* * *

“Admiral, _Phantom_ reports possible cloaked contact”, Tactical advised Shelby, giving her the coordinates from their location.

Shelby looked at the real-time chart on the display at her seat. They were a little behind where the contact was on the port side. “What's the estimated speed of the contact?”

“ _Phantom_ says estimates speed Warp 3.4, Admiral.”

 _Tooling along, nice and slow,_ Elizabeth Shelby thought to herself. She gave a very minor course correction that still would slide _Voyager_ behind the possible bogey, making it seem as if they were just passing through.

When she saw their course slightly change, she noticed that the _Sadat_ was heading parallel and slightly ahead of the contact, Lavalle not changing their course or speed.

Shelby sent a sub-space message of her own.

If they Romulans were there, the trap was about to be sprung.

* * *

“Commander Sela”, Ops announced, “We are passing Mintaka III.”

“Very well, slow to Warp One as we approach the border, Centurion. Any contacts?”

“The two Federation ships we've been monitoring are still around. One has laid in a course to take them well behind us, and the other has continued on the course almost parallel to us, but is running at low Warp, with weapons cold and shields down.”

“Very well”, Sela said with a nod. These weren't the first Federation ships they had crossed, so she had no real worries that they had been detected. After all, The Federation had a right to patrol its own space, as any sovereign entity did. She noted it in her log.

* * *

“We are now within six million kilometers of the possible contact”, Tuvok advised the others. We are currently to their port.” He looked again at their display. “Mr. Paris, put thirty-thousand kilometers directly behind them. Advise me when we are in place.”

“Gonna announce our presence then, Tuvok?” B'Elanna grinned at the former _Voyager_ Security officer.

“As your husband would say, it will be time to 'ring their doorbell'.”

“I'll advise _Voyager_ and _Sadat_ ”, B'Elanna said with a nod.

* * *

Sam Lavalle was tempted to bite his fingernails, as he was always tempted to do, during a tense situation. Yet like every other time, he didn't give into the temptation.

“Captain”, his Ops said in a strident voice, “ _Phantom_ is moving in directly behind the possible contact. Estimate two minutes until they're in position.”

“Now the fun really begins”, Captain Lavalle said, _sotto voce_.

* * *

“Admiral”, Shelby heard her Ops say excitedly, “ _Phantom_ is in position.”

She nodded. “OK, people, look sharp, and stand by. Here's where it gets interesting.”

* * *

“Commander!”

The urgency in the voice of the Ops officer startled Sela out of her comfort.

“We are being scanned by an unknown type of energy beam!”

“Where!”

“Directly behind us!”

“But...I don't see anything there, maybe it's a false echo?”

Ops shook their head. “Negative, the beam is bouncing off our hull!”

_What in the name of the spirits..._

* * *

“Admiral, sensors have detected the Romulan ship!” Ops gave her the exact coordinates. “ _Phantom_ has lit them up!”

“Ops, send out the message.”

“Aye, Admiral!”

* * *

With little warning, Ops onboard the Romulan ship noted the two Starfleet vessels now heading directly toward them at greatly increased speed.

“Commander, we've definitely been discovered!”

Sela said something positively human next. “Helm, get us the hell out of here, Warp 8!”

* * *

“They're trying to run!” Tom Paris was staying as calm as he could.

“Firing phasers directly at their cloaking device”, Tuvok announced, moments later, following that up. “Direct hit.”

* * *

The Romulan vessel shuddered as a phaser struck them.

“Commander! We are uncloaking. They've taking out our cloaking device!”

* * *

Shelby smiled, as the contact started to increase speed.

“Ops, signal our friend-now.”

“Aye, Admiral!”

Shelby turned to Tactical. “Fire a warning shot only over their hull”, Admiral Shelby announced calmly. “It's time to play our hand.”

* * *

Chaos reigned on the Romulan vessel, as a clear warning shot flew over them.

“Commander”, Ops said, “we are being hailed.”

“On screen”, Sela said, running out of options.

The visage of a Human woman appeared on her screen. “ _This is Admiral Elizabeth Shelby of the Federation Starship_ Voyager _. Cut your engines, and prepare to be boarded_.”

“And if I don't, Admiral?” _Maybe I can call her bluff_ , Sela thought behind a passive face.

At that moment, Shelby smiled.

* * *

“Commander, another contact, directly in front of us, only fifteen thousand kilometers! It must have been cloaked!”

“On screen!”

The screen lit up, nary a soul among the remaining Romulans onboard believing what they were seeing: It was a Klingon _K'vort Class_ Battle Cruiser.

“Commander”, Ops said, wondering what more could happen, “another ship de-cloaking directly behind us!”

When that ship came into view, Sela didn't recognize it at all. That was _Phantom_.

Shelby's visage disappeared from her screen, replaced by another one.

“ _This is Commander Kurn, of the Klingon ship '_ Vay _”,_ the man said with a predatory smile _. “If you do not, Commander Sela, I will blow you to Gre'thor_.”


	19. Chapter 19

XIX

Three Hours Later, San Francisco.

**It was 0500 when the news arrived** in San Francisco from the Yadalla Sector. It was a brief message that Sela and the Romulan ship had surrendered to _Voyager_. 

Admiral Mike Patterson had just turned off the alarm on his chronometer when Signals at Headquarters hailed him. It had been four days since Phantom had first been sent out. He nodded with satisfaction at the news. Even though the second piece of news didn't surprise him, it did worry him: Sloan was definitely not on the Romulan vessel, Commander Sela advising Admiral Shelby that they had beamed him to Earth before departing.

Then where was he?

* * *

  
Two Days Later

  
In San Francisco, Admiral Patterson was conferring with Admirals Jellico and Paris. _Voyager_ and _Sadat_ were due back at McKinley Station the next morning, along with _Phantom_. Patterson had already talked via subspace to Ambassador Kurn, who still held the military title of Commander, and thanked him and Chancellor Worf for their assistance. Kurn advised Patterson that he and the Chancellor would be visiting Earth within the week for a conference.

“Our latest intel”, Patterson told the other two, “which is actually a guess, is that he's somewhere on Earth. He has to be. From what Sela is telling Shelby, he somehow disabled the crew on that ship and left. He was smart enough to leave no traces of what he did.”

Ed Jellico looked hard at the C-in-C. “You believe her, Mike? After all, she's has no reason to play ball with us.”

“In this case”, Patterson added, “yes, I do. Remember, she advised Shelby that traces of Polyanure Ether were found after Maxwell got away. Sela even allowed Tuvok to confirm that traces of that compound were still present onboard. It's obvious she wanted Sloan to leave after that, and just wanted to go home. I know”, he said, raising his hand to Jellico and Paris, “I'm going on a leap of faith, but I think she's on the up-and-up with us.”

“So neither Sela nor Maxwell know where the guys is?”

“Not that we've been able to determine. Sela gave us the coordinates where Sloan was beamed to, but it's a good bet that wasn't his final destination. If he indeed ran Section 31, he still has a lot of resources on Earth. He could be anywhere.”

“Best guess is still that he'll show up here”, Owen Paris added, not making it a question, but more an educated guess. “I would think you'd be his primary target, Mike.”

“Perhaps”, Patterson said uneasily. “But I've got that ring around Bloomington, Indiana for a reason, Owen. He's obsessed with Seven.”

“I doubt he can get anywhere near there”, Owen said dismissively. “You've got that place buttoned up pretty good.”

Patterson nodded. “Yes, we've got a good security plan there...but I'm still worried.”

* * *

  
After their debrief at Starfleet Headquarters, Tom, B'Elanna, and Tuvok took up an invitation to spend a few days at Admiral Paris' home north of San Francisco. Miral was in Indiana with Kathryn and Seven, so it was just the four adults. Admiral Paris had invited Tuvok, as he wanted to have a private discussion with him.

“Mr. Tuvok”, Paris said, putting a cup of Vulcan spice tea in front of his guest, while he had a steaming hot cup of fresh coffee, “I thank you for accepting my invitation after the debrief. I know you would like to get home to your family again, but I wanted a private word with you.”

“I am at your service, Admiral Paris”, Tuvok said politely. “I suspect this does not have to do with the current mission that apprehended Commander Sela?”

Owen smiled. “Not specifically, no. Although it does have to do with part of this overall situation.” Owen took a satisfying sip of his coffee. “As you well know, the Janeway's and the Paris's go a long way back. Kathryn was almost like another daughter to me.” The Vulcan had already raised his eyebrows, making Owen chuckle. “I think you know where this is going.”

“I believe I do, Admiral. When was the last time you and Admiral Janeway had a...personal conversation, may I ask? I'm not looking for information, it was just a simple question.”

“To be honest”, Paris said sadly, “it's been years. Kathryn's been through so damn much since you all came back from the DQ. She hasn't had much in the way of peace since the day you landed in San Francisco. The debriefs, the Court Martial, her departure from Starfleet, now this mess? She's as tough as they come, Tuvok, but I'm quite frankly surprised she's kept her sanity.”

Tuvok nodded, as he agreed with that assessment. “I am not sure if you are fully aware of the new dynamic between Kathryn and Seven? As you do know, they had a bitter falling out shortly after arriving back from the Delta Quadrant, and it lasted for close to twenty years. Even when we were able to...acquire Seven and her ship, there was much discord between the two.”

“I am aware of that history, Tuvok. I know they were close on _Voyager_. Kathryn did a helluva job turning that young woman back into a Human Being. She's quite an amazing lady.”

“Indeed she is, Admiral”, Tuvok agreed. “Has Tom or B'Elanna ever told you much about how close their bond was on _Voyager_?”

Owen shook his head. “I asked more than a few times over the years, but it was always a touchy subject with my son and daughter-in-law.”

“I am not surprised. I understand you are wanting to know how Kathryn is doing after all this time, but I believe a little background is necessary to accurately relay that information to you.”

For the next half hour, Tuvok informed Owen Paris about just how close Seven and Kathryn had been. He assured the Admiral that nothing even approaching a break in protocol occurred between Captain Janeway and the former drone, but he impressed upon the Admiral that their feelings toward each other, at one time, had been much more than one of a mentor and a student.

“Shortly before her Court Martial finished, Kathryn had been invited to dinner with Seven and Chakotay. That is when they informed the Captain that they were in an intimate relationship. And the effects on Kathryn were catastrophic.”

“I know that she and Chakotay were close...” Owen hadn't quite caught on yet. 

“It wasn't that Chakotay had fallen in love with Seven, Admiral”, Tuvok said candidly. “It was that Seven had fallen in love with Chakotay.”

It was a subtle difference, but it suddenly clicked with the Admiral. “Are you saying...that Seven and Kathryn had romantic feelings for each other?”

“That is precisely what I am saying, Admiral. It has driven both of them for the last two decades. When Chakotay died, Kathryn and Seven had a bitter fight at the memorial. It was only known to myself and B'Elanna. Until we apprehended Seven, the two had not talked in more than ten years.”

“She wasn't even there when we held the service for Icheb”, Paris said, almost talking to himself. "I didn't understand that.” He looked up at the Vulcan. Now the full import of what Tuvok was implying dawned on Owen Paris. “They're reconciling now, in the hopes of forging a life together, aren't they?”

“Yes, Admiral”, Tuvok said with a small nod of his head. “They have made a lot of progress this past year. They have saved each other more than once since this whole affair came to light, and it has forged a new bond, and a new respect between them. I assume that you were looking for information on Kathryn's current mindset, am I correct.”

Owen gave a small laugh. “You were always sharp, Tuvok”, the man said graciously to his guest. “I know Necheyav wanted her hide after how she left the Service. I know she had turned into sort of a recluse for years, but I believe I feel better now, hearing what you've told me.”

“I concur in your assessment, Admiral”, Tuvok agreed. “I believe Seven and Kathryn have finally overcome the bitterness and acrimony that was between them for the last twenty years. I understand your affection for Kathryn Janeway-in my own way, I share such affection-for both Kathryn and Seven. I believe once this is behind them, they will be...as close to normal as the two of them can be.”

Owen gave a hearty laugh. _Don't tell me Vulcan's don't have a sense of humor_ , Paris said behind laughing eyes. His mind had been eased. The two men spent the rest of the afternoon discussing family and other less controversial topics.

* * *

  
The Next Day, Columbus, Ohio

  
Sloan was at one of his many “safe houses' that were part of his Section 31 network. He had such abodes all over the globe. This one he had never used, but it suited his purposes right now to be in this particular city.

He had with him, at the moment, only three other people: long-time operatives that he trusted with his life, and who would act with ruthless efficiency if called upon. They were, as he told them, his commanders for what was to come.

He was keeping tabs through other sources about events in San Francisco. He knew Sela was in custody, but had not heard a peep about Benjamin Maxwell. He assumed the man, like Sela, was in Federation hands, but he had no proof either way.

He was meeting with this three lieutenants. He gave them each one PADD, ordering them that, once they showed those they would be leading what was on them, to destroy the PADD's completely. Each of them would have five highly trained soldiers, as would Sloan himself. There would be no run-through, as it was too risky.

They were told where to rendezvous, and that the strike would take place in three days.

* * *

Bloomington, Indiana

  
Miral Paris and Seven of Nine were fishing in one of the many small lakes that dotted the land owned by the Janeway estate. It seemed a rather strange thing to behold: a former Borg drone, and a Human/Klingon hybrid, fishing in Bloomington, Indiana, on Earth. 

Miral had become very attached to her “Aunt Seven” when she was younger. Unfortunately, with everything that had happened to Seven over the years, they had lost contact with each other for a while. But Seven never lost her love or adoration for the younger Paris, and visa-versa. 

They weren't the best fishermen ever to cast a reel, as they quietly talked to pass the time. 

“Aunt Seven”, Miral turned to look at the blonde, “when all this is over, do you think we'll stay in touch?”

Seven looked down for a moment, knowing she had let down not only Miral, but her other friends as well over the years. “Miral, I will not abandon you, or your parents, or Kathryn again. I've made some mistakes over the years, and if this...nonsense has taught me anything it's that family is the most important thing in the Galaxy.”

Miral smiled. Seven could see both of Miral's parents in her features, but her eyes and her demeanor where pure B'Elanna. “I missed you on so many occasions. Mom and dad tried to keep me updated, but a lot of time, there was no information.”

“Were you able to spend time with your Aunt Kathryn at all while I was...in exile?”

“Some”, Miral nodded, “but not as much as I would have liked. I know how difficult things have been for both of you since coming back from the DQ. But I'm so happy to see the two of you, really trying to put the past behind you.”

“As am I, Miral”, Seven said, smiling over at the younger woman. “It was difficult, but I've come to believe all things happen for a reason. Perhaps all the bitterness in the past is what was required for Kathryn and I to come to an understanding, and to try to build a life together.”

“That's pretty inciteful, Aunt Seven”, Miral said seriously. “Maybe kind of how mom and dad hated each other before they fell in love?” 

Seven laughed loudly. “I think that's a fair comparison, my dear. Of course, had they taken twenty years to come to terms, you and I wouldn't be sitting her, futilely trying to catch some fresh fish for dinner.” The two women laughed.

Miral glanced over to her left, seeing one of the Marine sentries off in the distance, keeping a patrol. “You think all this security is necessary, Aunt Seven?”

Seven shrugged. “It can't hurt to be careful. If this Sloan bastard is around...sorry for my language, Miral...I think his eyes might be elsewhere.”

“So you're not worried?”  
  
“Not really”, Seven replied. “The Marines are very good at what they do. Your mother and father will be here tomorrow, along with Tuvok, so I feel we're in good hands.”

Miral scooted a little toward the taller woman, putting her head on Seven's shoulder, as they lapsed into a companionable silence, even catching a few decent sized fish that could add to dinner that night.

* * *

  
France

  
“Hey Soji”, Elnor said, catching up to his synth friend, “the Admiral called for us. Do you know what's up?”

Soji Asha turned to the young man. “Not the first clue, Elnor. He said it was important. Raffi contacted me and says she was invited as well. Something's up.”

“I just wish everything would quiet down, so I could spend more time learning about wine.”

She laughed at him. “Lush”.

Elnor looked suitably offended. “I'm interested in learning how to grow the grapes, and how to make the wine.”

“Uh-huh”, she teased him. “Sure.”

He turned red. “Well, I don't mind the taste of some of these wines, to be honest.”

“That's better, Elnor.” She grabbed his hand and hurried them both along.

Within a few minutes, they were inside the Picard home. None of the three who had been summoned were completely surprised that Admiral Riker was present as well.

“What's up, JL?” Raffi pulled up a chair, sitting backwards on it. “You said it was kinda important.”

“It is”, he said, slightly looking at Riker. “I have a mission for the three of you. I do not think it will be dangerous, but with some information we've received, I'd feel better with three very able people to help some friends of mine.”

“How long will it take us to get there, Admiral?” 

He turned to Soji. “Only a few seconds, as you're going to beam there in about an hour.”

Raffi, Soji, and Elnor looked between them raising their eyebrows.

* * *

By the next day, Tuvok, B'Elanna, Tom, Raffi, Soji, and Elnor had joined the gathering in Indiana. The three from _La Sirena_ were thrilled to see Seven of Nine again, Seven spending some quality time with her friends off of Rios' ship.

Kathryn was beaming, seeing so many of her former _Voyager_ crew members assembled, with Sue Nicoletti and Mike Ayala joining her usual cast of characters. For the first time in a long time, Kathryn Janeway felt like she was home.

The former _Voyager_ crew members made the three from _La Sirena_ feel at home, making sure to include them in the discussions during meals, and learning about them. After dinner on that first night, as dusk began to settle, Elnor approached Kathryn Janeway. Janeway was talking with Captain Mike Ayala when she spied the young man out of the corner of her eye.

“Hello Elnor”, Kathryn said with a warm smile. “I hope you enjoyed dinner?”

The young man blushed a little. “I have never had fried chicken and corn-on-the-cob before, but If it's all right with you, I'd love to come back and visit for some more some day.”

Janeway and Ayala both laughed loudly. 

“Admiral...I was wondering...” He stuttered a little, which made him made. He never acted like this around Picard.

“Just relax, young man”, Ayala spoke up. “The Admiral doesn't bite. Although years ago, I don't know if I really believed that.” 

Janeway swatted Ayala on his arms. “What can I do for you, Elnor?”

“I was wondering if I might talk with you in private for a few moments.

“Of course!” She turned to Ayala. “Mike, I promise we will continue this conversation.”

“No sweat, Admiral”, the man said. “I'm gonna go see if there's any cold beers left.”

Kathryn and Elnor wandered a short distance away from the others.

“What's on your mind?”

“Well”, Elnor began, “when I first met Seven, she intimidated me somewhat, especially after finding out what she did on Freecloud.” He took a small break. “Admiral Picard had given me an SOS beacon that Seven had given her. When I was in a bind on The Artifact, I activated the beacon, and in moments she was there. She saved me.”

Kathryn touched the young man's arm. “That sounds like the Seven I got to know on _Voyager_ , Elnor. Is something bothering you about that?”

“No, Admiral”, he replied, shaking his head. “But I was wondering, how do I reconcile what Seven did for me, and what happened...when she...”

“When she killed Bjayzl and the others?”

He nodded silently.

“And you want to know how to square the two, correct?”

“Yes, Admiral. It just seems like...some times she's like two different people. I saw her turn into 'The Queen', and it was frightening. I've seen her argue with Picard, and that anger in her eyes about what happened to Icheb and Hugh, and the other XB's, and even the synths. How can she be so caring in one moment and...acting so dangerous in the next?”

Kathryn motioned Elnor to walk with her. “That's a very astute observation, Elnor. I've pondered it myself. When we first severed Seven from The Collective, she threatened to kill me. And, yes, she was very intimidating. But even then, I wasn't afraid that she'd actually do that to me-I even lowered a force-field in the brig after she was with us. She threatened me, even grabbed me, but she didn't follow through.

“Yet as Seven regained her humanity, the violence of her Borg side subsided, and she became a beautiful, loving, loyal, incredibly brave woman, who saved our butts on _Voyager_ more than once.

“And yet despite regaining her humanity, she was able to do those awful things. I believe she had some justification, but...I just don't understand that.”

“That part, hard as it is to understand, Elnor, is also part of her humanity-a darker side of it, which all Humans have. When one is hurt-not physically in this case, mind you-but emotionally-over and over and over again, it can make even the best of us become something we don't want to be. That happened to Seven over the last twenty years-and I was a major player in hurting her so many times, even though that wasn't my intention. Then when Icheb was killed...” Kathryn had to pause to regain her composure, “something snapped in Seven, and she became obsessed with avenging his death. He was, in almost every way, her son. The pain of that, piled on top of the pain that I, and Chakotay, and others had inflicted on her, was too much, even for someone as strong as she is.”

“So, you're saying that it was really a coping mechanism for her? To join the Rangers? To keep hunting Bjayzl? What she did to those Cardassians and Ferengi?”

“In a manner of speaking, yes”, Kathryn admitted. “It doesn't make what she did right. But even despite that, I never gave up on the inherent goodness in Seven. It's why I agreed to Tom and B'Elanna's idea to go after her, and try to rescue her before she was beyond help.”

“I've gained a lot of respect for her, Admiral”, Elnor said. “But I still hold a little of that fear. Is that a bad thing?”

“Not at all”, Kathryn assured him. “It's natural to fear things, even if one is a very strong person, like yourself. Seven's shortcoming is that all that fear, and all that disappointment she had built up over the years, was turned toward something that wasn't simply justice, but outright revenge. It's what we do with such fear, and how we channel it, that can help to define us.”

Elnor gave a small smile at that remark, which Kathryn found endearing. “That's a good way to look at it, Admiral. I do know that if anyone that Seven loves and cares about would find themselves in harms way, she'd do anything she could to save them.”

“You are right, which is why all of us have been willing to give her another chance. She just had to take the chance she was offered.”

“I'm glad she did”, Elnor said, with a little laugh, which Janeway joined.

“So am I, Elnor”, Kathryn said, putting her hand through his elbow, letting him escort her back to the festivities.

* * *

By the next evening, Sloan had his forces in place, ready to do his bidding. Part of him truly felt that if he could pull this off, he would have a fighter's chance to still fulfill his dream to become the sole ruler of The Federation. This operation, if successful, he believed, would take him one step closer to his goal.


End file.
